A Deadly Trap
by GrumpyMagrat
Summary: What tragedy befalls the Tracy family when a madman demands the secrets of International Rescue? Movie verse. Complete.
1. The Trap

**THE DEADLY TRAP**

By: GrumpyMagrat and Magratconvert

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

Author's note: Ok, folks, we're back. This story is movie verse. It is set approximately one year after the movie. The ages of the boys are taken from the 2005 Thunderbird Movie Calendar. Scott is 26. John is 24. Virgil is just shy of 22. Gordon is 19. Alan just turned 15. A word of warning, this is an extremely ANGST story. If you don't like those, please don't read. There is a lot of emotions in the later chapters. The movie didn't really go into the personalities of the older boys, so this is our impressions of the brothers. We all draw our own ideas and impressions so if you don't agree with ours that's fine but please don't flame us because of it. We hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 1 – The Trap**

John stretched out on the chaise lounge. "Boy that sun feels good." He thought. He closed his eyes and basked in the sun's warmth. He let his mind wander and was just about to doze off when he heard footsteps approach.

"Hey John," Scott said. "Do you want to play a game of pool?"

"Nah, I'd rather stay here and soak up some sun." John said.

"Oh come on," Scott whined. "That's all that you have done since you came down from Thunderbird Five two days ago."

"Well, you try spending almost three months on Five and we'll see where you spend your first few days home." John said laughing.

Scott also laughed. "Well, you can blame the Hood for that. Ever since he escaped from prison he has been setting traps for us. If he hadn't blown up that building, Gordon wouldn't have broken his arm in three places and I wouldn't have gotten a concussion."

"Yeah, yeah, and then I wouldn't have had to cover Gordon's month and then my scheduled month. As much as I love being among the stars, I was starting to get homesick. I'm really glad that Gordon offered to come up ten days early." John said sobering slightly.

"Well, I'm glad that the Hood was finally caught again." Scott said. "Rescues are hard enough without having to worry if it was a trap."

John rolled his eyes. "Hopefully the police will listen to us this time and take the necessary precautions. I can do without the extra work and worry."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I also know that Gordon was really feeling guilty about missing his scheduled month." Scott explained. "He tried to convince Brains to let him go up even with his broken arm, but Brains was adamant. Because of the multiple breaks, he wanted Gordon's arm to be healed completely before he allowed him to go to Five."

"It's all right, really Scott." John said. "I understand. None of us plan on getting injured. We just deal with it when it happens. Besides I'm the one who volunteered to stay up on Five. I could've insisted that either you or Virgil come up and relieve me, but I figured that you two would be of more use down here, since you two have more rescue experience. Being short-handed I just thought it was best."

"Sometimes you are too understanding." Scott began but was interrupted by the alarm. Scott and John took off running into the house.

When they entered the control center, Gordon was already briefing their father. "There was an explosion at a top secret underground lab in Arizona. A Dr. Franklin called from inside the lab. He said that there are five scientists trapped in the lab. According to Franklin, one has suffered a head injury and needs immediate medical attention."

"Did he say what caused the explosion? Is there anything that we need to guard against?" Jeff asked.

"He didn't give any specific details. Although he did say that the explosion was caused by a mechanical malfunction not by an experiment gone bad. He indicated that none of the experiments should pose a danger to us." Gordon answered.

"Ok Scott." Jeff began to give orders. "Head out there. I want you to use Thunderbird 1's scanners to see if you can get us an exact location of the lab. We need to determine the most expedient plan for rescuing the trapped scientists. Virgil, John, we are going to need the mole. We'd better bring the laser cutters too, since we don't know the layout of the lab. If they have self-sealing emergency doors, we'll have to do some cutting. I'll meet you in Thunderbird 2 momentarily."

"F-A-B." The trio replied as they left to carry out their father's orders.

"Gordon, I want you to pay especially close attention to our communications." Jeff said. "I hate dealing with 'top-secret' organizations. Too many times they put keeping their secrets ahead of human lives."

"But Dad, we are a 'top-secret' organization." Gordon said with a saucy grin on his face.

"I know." Jeff said with a small smile on his face. "But we are an exception. Just keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I have a bad feeling about this rescue."

"F-A-B." Gordon replied.

Less than ten minutes later the four Tracys were on their way to Arizona. Scott was well in the lead in Thunderbird 1 while Jeff along with John and Virgil followed in Thunderbird 2.

Forty-two minutes after the original call came in, Jeff landed Thunderbird 2 next to Thunderbird 1. "OK Scott, have you found out anything?" He asked his son.

"Not really Dad. Apparently they have a jammer. I couldn't get anything on Thunderbird 1's scanners. The security guard that I met here wasn't sure if he should believe that I was really with International Rescue. He ordered me to stay out here while he double-checks with his boss. Then if we check out, he is going to bring us the blueprints to the complex."

"Complex?" Virgil asked. "It looks like an old dilapidated warehouse to me."

"Well, Gordon did say that it was an underground lab." Jeff began. "What better place to hide a 'top-secret' lab than under a building that looks like it is ready to fall down?" Turning again to Scott, Jeff continued. "Did you see if Gordon could pick anything up from Thunderbird 5?"

"Yeah, I tried, but I can't establish contact with Thunderbird 5. Whatever is jamming the scanners is also interfering with our communications." Scott explained.

"I don't like it." Jeff said. "Things aren't adding up."

"What should…" Virgil's question was interrupted by the appearance of the security guard.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen, thank you so much for coming." The guard said graciously. Turning to Scott, he said. "Please forgive my attitude earlier. It is my job to keep unauthorized personnel out of the complex. Unfortunately in all the commotion, the 'higher-ups' forgot to let me know that you were coming. Please come inside. I've found the blueprints. I figured it would be easier to spread them on the desk."

The three brothers looked at their father, who nodded his head. "Ok, we'll take a look at the blueprints, but Scott, I want you to stay out here and try to establish contact with Thunderbird 5."

"Oh sir," the guard interrupted. "That is the easy problem to solve. We have a radio unit inside that was designed to send signals through the dampening field. I'm afraid that it is the only transmitter that will work in a ten mile radius."

The uneasiness that Jeff had been feeling was growing. Everything that they had encountered so far would not have been unusual for a secret lab. Five men were depending on them, one was seriously injured. So why did he have the feeling that this was a trap of some sort? The incidents with the Hood two months back were making him paranoid.

"OK boys, let's go." Jeff said simply, but the tone of his voice and the look on his face told his sons silently. "Keep sharp."

Like most warehouses, the interior was dimly lit and it took a moment for their eyes to become accustomed to the light. A moment was all it took.

Jeff heard the door close behind them and suddenly the room was filled with a bright light. He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught of light. As his eyes adjusted, he saw that they were surrounded by approximately a dozen men all holding semi-automatic rifles. To no one in particular he muttered. "Damn, a trap."


	2. Captives

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 2 – Captives**

The four Tracys were herded across the warehouse and into a fairly large furnished room. It would have made a nice studio apartment. It had a small kitchen area with a sink, refrigerator and microwave. It also had a small table with three swivel chairs. In the sleeping/living area, it had two beds, a sleeper sofa and a recliner. A small barred window let in some sunlight.

"The boss will be here shortly to see you." The guard said as he closed the door. The lock could be heard loudly as it clicked into place.

"Dammit." Scott yelled as he punched the wall.

"OK, settle down." Jeff said. "Somebody obviously planned this trap in great detail."

"Do you think it's the Hood?" Virgil asked.

"I haven't heard anything about him escaping from prison." Jeff said. "But I suppose that anything could be possible. He had set enough traps for us two months ago, so I wouldn't be surprised. Let's look around. We need to develop an escape plan and I want to know if there is anything here that we can use."

The boys began exploring the room.

"The window is barred on both the inside and outside." Scott said.

"The furniture is bolted to the floor." Virgil told his father.

"Whoever did this must be planning on keeping us for awhile." John said. "The refrigerator and cupboards are stocked with food."

"Are there any eating utensils?" Scott asked.

"Just plastic." John replied.

"How do they really think that they can keep us for long?" Virgil asked. "Gordon will start to get suspicious when he can't contact us."

"I'm sure that they have thought of that." Jeff replied. "We'll just have to play along until we figure out what is going on. Hopefully then we can formulate a plan."

"Well, I don't like it." Virgil said.

"Neither do I." Jeff said. Turning to John, he continued. "John, do you think that you could re-wire one of our watches to break through the dampening field?"

"I can try but don't hold your breath." John said. "The watches just weren't designed with enough power to break through a dampening field."

"Well, do your best. Without communications, it won't take long for Gordon to get worried." Jeff said. Turning to his other sons, he continued. "Any other ideas…"

Jeff stopped when he heard the door unlock. The three Tracy boys stood at attention in a line behind their father. They stood facing the door as it opened. Four guards with rifles entered the room along with a man who was carrying a portable radio.

"My, don't you make an imposing sight." The man said as he set the radio on the table.

"Who are you and what is the meaning of all this?" Jeff demanded.

"Patience my friend, all in good time." The man said. Reading Jeff's name tag on his uniform, he asked smugly. "Is it safe to assume that you, Jeff, are the leader of this 'band of merry men'?"

With anger flashing in his eyes, Jeff just stared at the man, refusing to answer.

"I'll take that as a yes." The man said in a condescending tone. He moved to the table and began to set up the radio while he continued to talk. "First things first. You may consider yourselves my guests. Now Jeff, if you would be so kind as to come over to the radio here. You will contact the rest of your organization and tell them that you will be unable to communicate for awhile but everything is under control and not to worry."

"No." Jeff said firmly.

Their captor sighed. "Please don't make this difficult. I don't want to hurt anyone but I will if you refuse to co-operate." He nodded to one of the guards who raised his rifle and pointed it at Scott's head. "Will you co-operate, or do I order him to fire?"

Jeff looked at Scott who stood at attention with defiance written all over his face. "I want your word that if I co-operate no harm will come to my colleagues."

That brought an instant reaction from his sons.

"No, you can't"

"What are you doing?"

"You can't make a deal."

Jeff broke in. "Quiet!"

Scott continued to press his point. "You can't trust him. He's already proved himself to be a liar when he put out that fake rescue call. Don't do this, not for us.'

Jeff turned to face his son. "I said quiet! I am the commander. It is my decision. Do you understand me?"

Scott swallowed hard and stared into his father's eyes. "Yes sir."

Turning back to their captor, Jeff asked. "Do I have your word?"

Their captor smiled at Jeff. "Of course, you have my word, as long as **you** co-operate."

Jeff sat down at the table and keyed the radio mic. "Commander calling Thunderbird 5. Brains, do you read me?"

Their captor grabbed the mic from Jeff. "Who is Brains? What are you trying to pull?" He demanded.

Jeff grabbed the mic back. "He is the operator of Thunderbird 5. We consider Thunderbird 5 the nerve center of International Rescue so we call the operator of it 'Brains'. Now do you mind?" He spoke back into the mic. "Come in Brains."

The three brothers realized what their father was trying to do. They hoped that Gordon would understand it also. They all breathed a silent sigh of relief when they heard their brother's response.

"Commander, this is Brains. What's going on? Where are you? Is the team all right? You guys just disappeared off the sensors, and I haven't been able to establish communication with you." Gordon was talking a mile a minute.

"Calm down Brains." Jeff broke in. "Everything is OK. There is a dampening field around the lab. That is why you couldn't reach us. I wanted to let you know that this rescue is going to take a while and we won't be able to communicate during that time."

"Do you need more help?" Gordon asked.

"That's a negative, Brains." Jeff replied. "We can handle this ourselves. Just let base know our situation."

"F-A-B" Gordon acknowledged the order.

"R-A-C. Commander out." Jeff said as he hung up the mic.

Their captor leaned next to Jeff. "What the hell was that last part about?"

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked.

"The letter thing, what did all that mean?" The captor demanded.

"Oh that," Jeff replied. "Those are our code letters. Each of us have a code and we use them to prove we are who we claim to be. If I didn't use it, Brains would have been suspicious."

"If I find out that you are lying to me, there will be hell to pay. I'll be back later." He grabbed the radio and left the room with the guards following behind him.

The three Tracy boys surrounded their father.

"Do you think he understood?" Virgil whispered.

"I'm sure he did. He caught onto the name thing pretty quick." Jeff replied.

"What was that R-A-C about?" Scott asked.

"Brains will understand. Now we wait for the cavalry to arrive." Jeff said.

"But will we have the time?" John asked. "Our captor may have other plans."

**ON BOARD THUNDERBIRD 5**

As soon as the connection to his dad was severed, Gordon called down to the island. "Thunderbird 5 to Tracy Island, come in please."

Tin-Tin's smiling face appeared on the monitor. "Hello Gordon, it's good to hear from you."

Gordon interrupted her. "I'm sorry but this isn't a pleasure call. Where is Brains? Why isn't he in the control center? I need to talk to him right now. It's an emergency."

Tin-Tin heard the urgency in Gordon's voice. "He asked me to watch the desk for a few minutes while he turned something off in the lab. I'll go get him right now. Hang on."

To Gordon, the wait seemed to be unending, but according to the clock on the desk, it was less than two minutes before Brains' face appeared on the monitor.

"Gordon, what's wr-wr-wr-up?" Brains asked.

"Brains! Dad and the guys are in trouble." Gordon said in a rush. "You need to come get me so we can help them."

"S-s-calm down Gordon." Brains commanded. "How d-do you know t-t-that they are in tr-tr-tr-need of help?"

"On the way to the rescue co-ordinates, the Thunderbirds just disappeared off the scanners." Gordon began. "Then Dad called up. He said that everything was fine, but he also said things that indicated to me that he was being forced to make the call."

"L-l-like what?" Brains asked.

Gordon sighed in frustration. "First off, when he called up he said 'commander calling Thunderbird 5'. Dad never calls himself 'Commander'. Second, he kept calling me 'Brains'. Dad would know who was manning Thunderbird 5 and even if he got confuse for some reason, he would surely recognize my voice. He wouldn't keep calling me 'Brains' unless he was trying to tell me something. Lastly, instead of saying F-A-B when he signed off, he said R-A-C. I'm not sure what he was trying to tell me, but it has to be a message of some sort."

Brains could hear the frustration building in Gordon's voice. He had to agree that Jeff was trying to send a message that they needed help. When he heard Gordon mention R-A-C, he knew exactly what Jeff wanted them to do.

"R-A-C was a m-m-message for me." Brains explained to Gordon. "RAC is an experimental d-device that I have been en-en-en-working on. It s-s-stands for radio amplifier and c-c-circumventer. If it works pr-pr-pr-as expected, it should c-cut through electrical i-i-interference or d-d-dampening fields."

"That's it Brains." Gordon exclaimed. "Dad mentioned something about a dampening field around the lab."

"OK G-G-Gordon," Brains said. "Tin-Tin and I will c-c-c-be up to get you. Then we can de-de-de-come up with a rescue plan."

Tin-Tin started at Brains' statement. "Me? I've never flown in Thunderbird 3."

"But you have practiced in the sim-sim-sim-computerized programmed ship." Brains argued. "I will do the p-p-p-steering, but I need a co-pilot."

"OK Brains." Tin-Tin said. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

"Thanks Tin-Tin," Gordon said over the vid-comm. "I'll make copies of the original call and Dad's call. Maybe you, Brains, can pick-up more clues than I did. I'll see you soon." Then he closed the link.

"OK T-Tin-Tin, Let's ta-ta-ta-go." Brains said, heading to Thunderbird 3's silo.

**BACK AT THE WAREHOUSE**

"How's it going, John?" Jeff asked his son.

"Well, I think that I have made some improvements," John said. "But the signal still isn't strong enough to break through the dampening field."

"Well, keep with it." Jeff said. "How about you Scott, did you find anything?"

Scott shook his head. "No, our 'host' seems to have thought of everything. There is nothing that we could use as a weapon."

Jeff sighed. "Virgil? Anything?"

"Well, nothing that they left." Virgil began. "But I've been watching John work with his tools." Picking up a small screwdriver, he continued. "Some of these are thin enough that I could probably pick the lock, but they will probably hear me."

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Their captor's voice came from behind them. "Did I hear that you have tools to pick the lock? I guess I was lax when you first got here."

"Damn" Jeff thought. "How did he get in here without us hearing him?"

Their captor turned to one of the guards and ordered. "Search them."

The guard emptied their pockets, confiscating their PDAs, Virgil's small sketch book, and John's tools. Holding up John's watch, the guard asked. "What about their watches?"

"Take all but Jeff's." The captor said with an evil smile coming to his face. "I have a feeling that he will need it soon."

Jeff was puzzled by that statement, but he refused to give their captor the satisfaction by asking for clarification. He stood at attention and stared at their captor. His sons followed his example and stood at attention behind him.

"Sit down Gentlemen." Their captor said. "Make yourself comfortable. Let's talk."

Jeff gave him a hard stare. "We'll stand."

"Suit yourself." Their captor said with a smile. "Now earlier you asked me who I was and what I wanted. Well I'm here to give you that information. Are you sure that you don't want to sit down?"

Jeff continued to stand at attention.

"Very well," their captor said. "My name is Dr. Donald Franklin, and I want the secrets of the Thunderbirds."

Jeff continued to stand, silently staring at Dr. Franklin.

"You don't seem surprised my friend." Dr Franklin said.

Jeff finally broke his silence. "You are not the first person to try to gain our secrets."

"I'm sure," the doctor replied. "But I intend to succeed."

Jeff continued his silent staring.

"Now my associates and I have tried to gain access to your Thunderbirds, but you already know how that turned out." The doctor was greeted by more silence. The doctor continued. "Well yes, obviously, we were unable to break through your security measures. Now you, my friend, are going to tell me how to deactivate those measures."

The three boys all reacted with a small start but Jeff remained stoically at attention.

"NO!" Jeff stated in his firm 'commander' voice.

Dr. Franklin sighed in frustration. He began circling the room, stopping to inspect each of the three Tracy boys. "Why must you make this so difficult?" He asked as he continued to circle the brothers. "If you refuse to help me, I can and **will** make it extremely difficult for you and more importantly your subordinates."

"It doesn't matter." Jeff stated calmly. "We all took an oath to protect the secrets of International Rescue, no matter what the cost."

"We will see about that Jeff. We will most definitely see." The doctor said as he made one more circle around the brothers. He came to a stop in front of the white-blond Tracy. "So John, did you swear the oath?"

John stared at the doctor defiantly. His heart was racing. "Why did this man single him out?" He thought. He fought to keep the fear that he was feeling from showing on his face. Unfortunately the doctor saw it flash briefly in his eyes.

"Your hair is an interesting shade of blond. Is it natural?" Dr. Franklin asked.

John refused to speak, but his thoughts were flying through his head. "My hair? What does the color of my hair have to do with anything?"

Dr Franklin saw the confusion and smirked. "Are you familiar with the old saying 'Blondes have more fun'? Have you found that to be true?"

John refused to look at the doctor. He stood at attention and focused his gaze at the wall ahead of him. His mind was trying to wrap itself around what was happening. He was sure that their captor was going to try to break him, but how?

Dr. Franklin motioned for two of the guards. Each guard grabbed one of John's arms and started to drag him toward the table. John struggled against their grasp until the guard on his left pulled his arm painfully up and behind him. He was forced into one of the chairs at the table. With his left arm still held behind him by one of the guards, the other guard stretched his right arm face up across the corner of the table. He pushed the sleeve of John's uniform up exposing his arm. John tried to pull his arm from the table, but the guard holding his left arm pulled up sharply. John gasped in pain and ceased struggling.

Dr. Franklin approached the table with an evil grin on his face. He pulled a syringe from his pocket and held it up for everyone to see. "Let's see how much 'fun' we can have?" He said as he brought the syringe down to John's arm, preparing to inject him.

"Wait. What is that?" Jeff demanded.

"Oh, this?" Dr Franklin said gesturing with the syringe. "This is just a little something that I designed to encourage your co-operation."

"You damn liar." Scott exploded. "You gave your word that no one would get hurt."

"Not exactly, Scott." Franklin said smiling ruefully. "I said no one would get hurt as long as **JEFF** co-operated. I wouldn't call this co-operation. Would you?" He repositioned the syringe against John's arm. "Do I get the secrets or not?"

"I won't let you hurt him." Scott growled.

Both Scott and Virgil made a move forward. The other two remaining guards brought their rifles up and took aim.

"Stop!" Jeff commanded. "Stand down. That's an order."

For one moment Jeff thought that his sons were going to disobey him. Scott gave him a sharp nod of his head and stood back at attention. Virgil followed his brother's example and stood at attention.

"Well, Jeff?" Dr. Franklin asked impatiently.

John met his father's pain-filled eyes. John gave his father a barely perceptible shake of his head.

Jeff ran his hand over his face. In a barely audible voice, he said. "No, I can't. I'm sorry John."

"Your decision is unfortunate but not unexpected." The doctor said as he injected the contents of the syringe into John's arm.

Author's notes:

Personal from Grumpy: "Be wery, wery, quiet. I'm hunting Convert. Huh-huh-huh-huh. (Think Elmer Fudd during rabbit season.)Personal from Convert: Ssh, don't tell Grumpy that I am hiding under HER rock. She isn't happy with what I have done with John.

Ok, that's just some on the silliness that we throw at each other when we are writing, but back to seriousness. We want to thank every one who has read our story and especially a HUGE thank you to those who took the time to review. We have reply to the individual reviews, if you haven't received a reply, let us know. It could be stuck out in cyber-space. If you enjoyed this chapter, please review. We love hearing from our readers. Thanks again.


	3. Waiting

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 3 – WAITING**

John flinched when he felt the needle penetrate his skin. He began to feel light-headed but then he realized that he was holding his breath. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He felt Dr. Franklin remove the syringe, and felt the guards release his arms. He rubbed the injection site waiting to feel the effects of whatever he was just injected with.

"Are you alright, John?" Jeff asked.

John took a mental inventory. "Yeah…I think." He said as he pushed the sleeve of him uniform back into place.

Jeff spun to face Dr. Franklin and angrily demanded. "Dammit Franklin, what kind of sick game are you playing? What did you inject him with?"

Dr. Franklin gave Jeff a menacing smile. "Calm yourself Jeff. Your colleague has at least four hours before the poison starts to take effect. If he is lucky, he could have as much as six hours."

At the word 'poison', Jeff looked at John again. Even though John was trying to hide it, Jeff could see that his son was scared. Actually he could see that John was terrified.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, he turned back to Franklin. "What kind of poison did you give him? So help me God…"

"Jeff, please," Dr. Franklin said holding his hands up in a mock surrender. "Let's not have any idle threats." Gesturing to his guards, he continued. "After all, it's not like you can really follow through with anything. Can you?"

"I would gladly take a bullet, if it means that I could have my hands around your throat for just one minute." Jeff growled. "Now I'll ask you once more. What kind of poison did you give him?"

"You won't recognize the name." Dr. Franklin said, laughingly. "Actually, it doesn't have a name, not yet anyways. I developed the poison myself, but I can tell you what to expect though."

Jeff closed his eyes. He could feel his anger rising. He knew that he needed to control his temper. If he lost control, he would be a detriment to his sons.

Dr. Franklin could see Jeff struggling with his emotions. It wouldn't be long before he had the head of this International Rescue team begging for his help and willing to do anything for it. The grin on his face grew as he continued.

"In a few hours, your colleague will break out in a rash. Next will come the joint and muscle pain which is followed by nausea. A fever will come after that and then he will become delirious. Eventually he will slip into a coma just before death. This will all happen over the course of the next five days."

Franklin took a perverse pleasure in watching all four of his captives pale visibly as he described the effects of the poison. Jeff stood opening and closing his fists. He no longer tried to hide his anger. It was written all over his face. John stood dumbfounded staring at his arm. Even though the injection site was now covered by the sleeve of his uniform, he stared at it like he could see right through the material. Virgil placed his hand on John's shoulder and gripped it in a silent gesture of encouragement. Scott, in an eerily similar gesture, had gripped Jeff's shoulder.

Scott however found his voice. "How do you know that all that will happen?" He asked their captor, but in the back on his mind he knew that he was not going to like the answer.

"I did my research, of course." Dr. Franklin replied in a condescending tone. "Of the twenty-four people that I injected, the pattern remained the same. The only difference was the duration of each stage. The earliest death occurred after 4 days and 21 hours. The longest one lasted 6 days and 2 hours. The average time was 5 days and 13 hours."

"You killed twenty-four people in order to 'do research'?" John asked in a tortured whisper. He couldn't believe this man was talking about killing people like it was some kind of science project.

"No, of course not." The mad doctor said. "Eight of them recovered. After all, I had to test the antidote too."

Jeff's rage overwhelmed him. "You sick son of a… When I get my hands on you…" He started to move at their captor, but Scott moved to block his path. Jeff also felt hands grab him from behind.

Scott got in close to his father's face. "Don't do it. Don't stoop to his level." Turning back to Dr. Franklin, Scott asked. "You have an antidote?"

The doctor pulled out a small vial from his pocket. He stood in front of Jeff and held the vial up for him to see. "This is all it would take to save John's life and all you have to do is give me the secrets of the Thunderbirds."

Jeff hung his head. Secrecy was imperative to International Rescue, but could he really let his son die for it. He knew that Gordon and Brains would be coming to their rescue, but it would take time. It was questionable if Brains could get the RAC working since it was still in the testing stage. He heard John's voice from behind him.

"Don't do it. Not for me." John said. "We'll think of something."

"That's very admirable, John." Dr. Franklin broke in. "But remember that I have a small army of guards. It would be suicide to take them on." Grabbing Jeff's arm, he held it up. He continued. "Make sure that you take a good look at the time when John slips into the coma because after 4 hours and 25 minutes the antidote will be useless." The doctor turned and walked to the door. He stopped in the open door. He turned and addressed Scott and Virgil. "Watch your colleague closely because that is what will happen to you too if I don't get the information that I want. So remember, if one of you gives me the information, you will not only be saving John's life, but you will also be saving your own."

"You can't seriously think that you can keep us here for five days." Scott said sarcastically. "Our other operatives aren't stupid. They will eventually figure out that something is wrong."

"You're right." Franklin replied. "They will probably even come looking for you, but they won't find you. I've made sure of that." With that he was gone and the lock was heard being slid into place.

Scott rushed the door in frustration and yelled. "Come back here, you son of…"

"Scott, calm down." Jeff ordered.

Turning to his father, he asked. "Do you think that he's right? That Gordon can't find us?"

Jeff shook his head. "I think that he is greatly underestimating International Rescue. Between Gordon and Brains, they will be able to locate us. Right now though we need to concentrate on what we can do from here to help them." Movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. Jeff looked over at John who was pale and shaking slightly. "Come on John, why don't you sit down?" He said as he guided John toward the sofa.

Jeff sat down on one side of John and Virgil sat on the other side of him.

"How are you feeling John?" Virgil asked in a quiet voice.

John looked at Virgil like he had just sprung a second head. He stood back up and started pacing in front of his brother and father. "And just how the hell am I supposed to feel, Virgil?" He asked sarcastically. "How would you feel if you had been poisoned and have five days to live?"

"John" Jeff said reaching out and stopped John's pacing by placing a hand on his arm. John looked at his dad. The anger and fear were written all over his face. Trying to calm his son, Jeff continued. "It's not over yet. Gordon and Brains will be here soon. We'll get the antidote and then we'll get out of here. I promise you. We aren't just going to sit by and let this happen."

John felt the fight leave him, and he sat back down. He turned toward his brother. "I'm sorry I snapped at you Virgil. I…uhm…this is just a lot to take in, you know. He was so…I guess…detached about all this. I mean he killed sixteen people and he has poisoned me. Yet he talked like it was nothing more than explaining a high school science project."

It's OK John." Virgil said. "I would really be losing it if I were in your shoes."

Jeff saw a look cross John's face. He knew that his son was taking this a lot harder than he was letting on. "John?" Jeff tried to get his son's attention, but John just stared off into space. "John? Come on, talk to me. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours."

John turned and looked at his father. He didn't say anything, but Jeff could see the haunted look on his son's face. Jeff put his arm around John's shoulders and pulled his son to him. "Please John," he whispered. "Tell me how you are feeling?"

John sighed and pulled back a little with his dad's arm still around his shoulders. Clearing his throat, he said in a quiet voice. "I'm OK, at least physically, really. According to the mad doctor, I still have a few hours before the effects of the poison kicks in. Mentally, however…I don't know…My feelings are all in a jumble. I know that Brains and Gordon will be coming and that you guys will do everything you can to get the antidote, but…Oh God…How do I say this…I just have this horrible feeling that things are not going to work out this time." John looked into his father's eyes. "I'm really scared. I don't think that I have ever been this scared in my life. I…I…" John's voice broke and the tears started falling.

Jeff pulled his son back to him. He knew that John was scared. Hell, he was scared himself. He rubbed John's back while his son sobbed his fears into his father's chest. He whispered softly to his son. "Let it out, John. Just let it all out."

Jeff saw that both Virgil and Scott were silently encouraging their brother. Virgil had placed one hand on John's shoulder and was also rubbing his back with the other. Scott had knelt down in front of John and rested his hands on John's knees.

Jeff in turn meet both Scott's and Virgil's looks. He could see the fear in their eyes also. "We will get through this…" Jeff said trying to encourage all his sons. "…As a family."

**BACK ON THE ISLAND**

Gordon came storming into Brains' lab. "Brains, how much longer before this 'RAC' will be up and running."

Brains gave Gordon a look of impatience. "I can't be p-p-p-sure Gordon. At least another hour maybe t-t-t-more."

"Come on Brains." Gordon said in exasperation. "We need to speed this up. It's already been thirty-seven hours since I got that call from Dad. We have no idea what has happened since then. They could be dead by now."

"Calm down G-G-Gordon," Brains said. "I told you that it would t-t-t-require time to get this wo-wo-up and running.

"Time, time, time. Time is the one thing that we don't have." Gordon ranted as he paced around Brains' lab. "It took time for you to come get me. It took time for us to get back to earth. It's taking time for you to work on this 'thing'. It will take us seven hours to fly to Phoenix and then another hour and a half to helijet from Phoenix to the location of the lab. If they are still there, we have to try to develop a rescue plan. Time for this. Time for that. Time, time, time. We don't have **TIME** Brains. My family is depending on us. You've got to speed things up."

Even though Gordon was yelling at him, Brains knew that it was because Gordon was worried about his family. "Gordon, I un-un-un-know it is frustrating, and I know that you are w-w-w-concerned about your family, but I have to b-b-think that your family's kid-kid-kid-captor wants to keep them for awhile. Why else would he f-f-f-make your dad call you? They probably want the Th-Th-ships, and they would need them al-al-able to talk to get the security pr-pr-pr-measures."

"I don't know Brains. Maybe they somehow found a way into the ships and then they needed some time to get away before we came searching for them and finding their dead bodies. Why else haven't they tried to contact us again?" Gordon said getting angry at Brains.

"Gordon, STOP!" Brains said in a commanding voice that he rarely could muster. "I am worried about your f-f-f-them too. I have to b-b-b-trust that they are still alive or I would go in-in-nuts, and then I would never get this w-w-thing working. I find it fr-fr-fr-irritating that it is taking so long but I can only go so fast. Please let me w-w-w-do my job. I can do it a lot f-f-f-more quickly without your interruption."

"All right Brains." Gordon said with the anger still resounding in his voice. "I will be down in the hanger TRIPLE checking Tracy Three to make sure that she is ready to go. Just hurry it up."

Brains went back to his work and his prayers. "Please God. Please let them be all right." He knew that if they weren't Gordon would never forgive him. For that matter he would never be able to forgive himself.

**BACK AT THE WAREHOUSE**

"Dad, how much longer are we going to wait for Gordon?" Virgil asked. "It's already been forty-two hours since you talked to him."

Jeff could see that Virgil was getting frustrated as time was passing. Hell, so was he. It had been almost two days since being taken captive. They had all at one time or another tried to sleep, but the stress of the situation was making it difficult. It also didn't help that Franklin had been in three times to "check on John's condition." Franklin flaunted the antidote in front of him and reminded him that all he had to do to save John's life was to give him the secrets of International Rescue. The guilt that Jeff was feeling grew each time Franklin came in to "visit." Forcing those feelings down, he looked at his son.

"We need to give them more time." Jeff said. "Don't forget. Brains had to go get Gordon. He had to make sure the RAC was working, and I have no idea what condition it was in. We had tested it twice, but Brains still wanted to tweak it. Then they will have to fly over here. Even in our fastest plane that will take hours."

"Plane?" Virgil questioned. "Why not Thunderbird 3? I know that she is primarily a spacecraft, but we have used her planet-side before. It's got to be faster than a plane."

"Yes, it would be faster." Jeff said. "But don't you think that our captor would be watching for any signs of people trying to rescue us. I think the sight of Thunderbird 3 flying anywhere near here would be a pretty big sign. Don't you? A plane or helijet would probably not even be noticed. I'm trusting that if Gordon hasn't thought of it, Brains will."

Virgil motioned toward the bed where John laid curled up on. The rash that John had broken out with the day before was visible on his face. At one point the urge to scratch was so strong that John literally sat on his hands to keep from scratching. Then a few hours ago the muscle ache started. John had laid down about an hour ago hoping to escape the pain by sleeping for awhile.

Virgil whispered to his dad. "But what about John? We are almost two days into the five days…"

"Stop talking about me." John commanded from the bed. Noticing the startled look on his father's and brother's face, he continued. "It was an educated guess guys. When you guys start whispering, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why." Slowly sitting up, he continued. "I want a promise from you guys. No matter what happens to me, you can't give Dr. Franklin the secrets of the Thunderbirds. Promise me. OK?" He met the looks of his father and brothers. None of them said anything. "I mean it guys. Promise me. Please."

Jeff could see that John was getting worked up. "Of course we promise John." He said as he looked to Scott and Virgil who both nodded their heads. "We made that promise to each other when we started International Rescue. Nothing has changed."

"Of course things have changed." John interrupted his father. "It's one thing to make that kind of promise when we were safe and sound back on the Island, but now…It's time to put our money where our mouths are. Now I need to know. I need your promises that you will maintain the oath of secrecy. It's important to me."

Scott sat down next to John and gripped John's shoulder hoping to give him comfort. He removed it immediately when he saw his brother wince. "I'm sorry John." He said. "Of course, we promise not to give away the secrets of International Rescue, but that doesn't mean that we are giving up on you. Even if Brains and Gordon don't show up, we will find a way to get out of this."

"That's right.' Jeff said. "Even though I have every confidence in Gordon and Brains, we do need to think about an alternative plan."

"I say that we rush Franklin the next time he comes in here." Virgil said vehemently.

"And what about the guards with their guns?" Jeff asked patiently. "How fast can you dodge the bullets?"

"I don't want you guys taking unnecessary risks for me." John said. "And that plan would be suicide."

Virgil sighed. "I know, but I hate this feeling of helplessness. I feel like I should be doing something. If I could just have five minutes alone with that bastard, I would make him pay for what he has done."

"We all feel that way Virgil." Jeff said. "But we need to think professionally, not emotionally. I know that it is hard. I've been having trouble myself. If you think of anything, let's talk about it. Maybe between all of us, we can work out a plan."

Jeff turned and looked at John. "How are you feeling John? Did you get any rest?"

"I dozed for a little bit." John replied. "I had a hard time finding a position to lie in. Plus my thoughts were running a mile a minute. It's weird some of the things that you think of at a time like this."

"Why don't you try to get some more rest?" Jeff told John.

"I could tell you the same thing." John said with a snort. "None of you guys have had much rest since we were captured."

"I'll make you a deal." Jeff told him. "If you lay back down and rest, so will the rest of us. Deal?"

"OK, deal." John said as he quietly accepted his Dad's help in lying back down.

Turning back to his other sons, he said. "OK boys, let's get some rest."

"OK, but you take the other bed." Scott told his father. Turning to Virgil, he said. "You have your choice Virg, the sofa or the recliner."

"I think that I will take the recliner." Virgil answered him. "Do you want me to get the lights?"

"No, that's OK. I'll get it." Scott said heading to the light switch.

As the room was plunged into darkness, the four Tracys settled down trying to get some rest. Each one left alone with their own troubled thoughts. Each one left alone with their own dark fears.

Author's note: Ok, folks, don't you just hate waiting? As far as the poison, we purposely made it a new "man-made" things, so that we can make it do whatever we want. Thanks again to all our faithful readers and reviewers. We hope that we can live up to your expectations.


	4. The Rescue

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 4 – THE RESCUE**

Six hours later, Jeff woke up when his watch started vibrating. He wanted to jump for joy, but he held it in check. This could be a trick of Franklin's.

Quietly he keyed his watch and said. "This is the Commander."

Gordon's unmistakable voice came back to him. "Da…uhm…Commander, what is the situation?"

Ignoring the question, Jeff asked one of his own. "Where are you? Obviously Brains got the RAC working. Is he with you?"

"Yes, he is here with me. We are in a helijet about two miles from your location." Gordon answered.

Scott woke up to his dad's voice and saw him talking into his watch. Sitting up Scott asked, "Is that…" He stopped when Jeff held up his hand.

"OK Gordon, I need you to do a fly by and scan the building. We need to know how many people we are up against and where they are." Jeff commanded.

"F-A-B, I'll get back to you with the information." Gordon replied.

Jeff turned to Scott with a small smile on his face. "They're here, and when Gordon gets back to us with the information, we can formulate a plan."

"I'll wake the others." Scott said.

"Just Virgil." Jeff told him. "Let John sleep as much as he can. He'll need all his strength later."

"OK sure," Scott said turning to where Virgil slept in the recliner. He tapped Virgil's shoulder. "Hey Virg, wake up. The cavalry is here."

"Huh, what?" Virgil said trying to wake up.

"Gordon and Brains, they're here." Scott repeated.

"They're here? Where?" Virgil asked sitting up straight.

Right at that moment, the sound of a helijet flying overhead met their ears. As the sound faded, Scott grinned at Virgil. "That was them. They are doing a reconnaissance scan. We should be hearing from them soon. Once we know what we are up against, we can devise a plan."

Glancing over to the bed, Virgil asked. "How is John?"

"He's still sleeping." Jeff said, joining the conversation. "I want to let him sleep until we need him."

Jeff felt his watch vibrate. He was grateful that Gordon was using the silent mode of communication instead of taking the chance of someone overhearing his beeping watch. Not willing to take the chance that Franklin broke their communication code, he answered. "This is the Commander."

"Uh…yeah…" came Gordon's voice, causing the three Tracys to smile. "I have the intel that you requested. The building that you are in is a typical one-story warehouse. It has two offices on the south side of the building, and there is another room in the northeast corner of the building. I think that's where you're at. It's the only room that I registered four people in. So if you are all together then that has to be you. Please tell me that you are all together." Gordon's voice had a hint of desperation in it when he asked that question.

"Yes Gordon, we are all together." Jeff told his son. "How's the rest looking?"

"OK, there are four guards outside. Each one seems to be patrolling one side of the building. In one of the offices, there are three people, and in the main area of the warehouse, there are another six people." Gordon reported.

"OK, good work Gordon." Jeff said. "Now what kind of armament did you bring?"

"We brought standard riot control gear." Gordon said. "We have a dozen knock-out grenades, gas masks for us, four tranq guns with six injections each, and of course for last resort, our standard issue revolvers with spare cartridges."

"OK this is the plan." Jeff began. "Gordon, this plan is going to be basically up to you and Brains. It's actually pretty simple. First, you need to take out the four outside guards with the tranq guns. Then using the knock-out grenades, take out the people on the inside. Then get us out of here. The element of surprise is important, so be as quiet as you can."

"That sounds simple enough." Gordon said.

"There is one more thing, Gordon." Jeff continued. "We don't know how the ventilation system is in this building. There is the possibility that the gas will get into this room and we will also be knocked out."

"That's OK. We'll get you out. I'll carry you if I have to." Gordon interrupted.

"I never doubted that, Gordon." Jeff said, smiling slightly at his son's tenacity. "But if we are unconscious there is one more thing that you have to do." Stopping for a moment, Jeff took a deep breath. He gathered his thoughts on how to break the news about John to Gordon. He hated to burden Gordon even more since so much was already riding on his shoulders. "This mad-man Franklin has poisoned John."

"What? Poisoned?" Gordon said interrupting his dad. "Is he alive? Oh my God, what poison did he use?"

"Gordon calm down and listen to me." Jeff ordered. "John is still alive. The poison used was some kind of slow acting poison that Franklin developed himself. He also developed an antidote that he had with him the last time he was in here. If we are rendered unconscious, you **MUST** find Franklin and get the antidote from him."

"I'll get it." Gordon said in a quiet yet determined voice. "I need to know what Franklin looks like, though."

"OK, Franklin is about 6 feet tall. Weight is probably around 240 to 250 pounds. He has dark brown hair, with a little gray at his temples, and he has a bald spot on the back of his head. He is clean shaven and has green eyes. The last time that we saw him, he was wearing a dark blue suit. I would guess that he is probably one of the three in the office." Jeff paused for a moment. "Gordon, I know that we are putting a lot on your shoulders with this rescue. Please be careful. We are counting on you. I know that you can do it."

Gordon was feeling self-conscious. He knew that his family's lives, especially John's, rested on his shoulders. "OK, I spotted a clearing about two and a half miles from your location. That's where I will set down the helijet. We will get there as quickly as we can. A lot of it will depend on the terrain."

"Do your best Gordon." Jeff told him. "We'll be waiting."

"F-A-B, we'll be seeing you soon." Gordon replied while cutting the radio link.

Turning to his other sons, Jeff said. "OK, we need to be prepared in case things go wrong. If that happens, I'm sure Franklin will be coming in here. After all, we are his 'aces in the hole'. Once that door opens, we will need to engage them immediately in hand-to-hand combat. We need to disarm as many guards as we can. We can use their weapons ourselves **IF** we have to. Understand?"

Scott and Virgil both nodded their heads, so Jeff continued. "OK, take up positions at the door. Stay alert for any sound that they are on to our plan. I'm going to wake up John."

Scott and Virgil followed their father's instruction while Jeff knelt down next to the bed. "John, it's time to wake up. John?" Jeff said. He saw John's eyelids fluttered but did not open. Jeff placed his hand on John's shoulder and gently shook him. "Come on John, wake up." Jeff pulled his hand back when John let out a painful moan.

John slowly opened his eyes. His first waking thought was, "God, I hurt all over."

Jeff saw John open his pain-filled eyes. He could see that his son's eyes were staring straight ahead, unfocused. "John, can you hear me? Are you with us? How are you feeling?"

John focused on his Dad's face. Clearing his throat, he said. "I…uhm…I really hurt. It feels like I've been beaten all over."

"Well, it shouldn't be much longer." Jeff told him. "We've heard from Gordon. He and Brains should be here shortly to affect a rescue."

"That's good to hear." John said as he tried to sit up. He fell back against the pillow with a groan.

"John!" Jeff said with alarm.

"I'm…OK…I'm…OK." John said, but his rapid breathing belied that statement. Between breaths he continued. "I…think…I…need…some…help…up."

Jeff helped John get into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. John tried to fight against the pain, but he couldn't stop the whimpers that escaped his lips. The three other Tracys grimaced in sympathy. John closed his eyes and took some deep breaths trying to get his bearings.

"Are you going to be able to make it out of here on your own?" Jeff asked with concern.

"I'll do whatever I have to." John answered.

Jeff nodded his head. He knew that John was trying to be strong, but that the poison was quickly draining his strength. "Save you strength. We'll help you as much as we can."

Twenty minutes later, the Tracys heard the sound of breaking glass and a startled yell.

"Be ready." Jeff ordered.

Sure enough a few seconds later, the door opened and Franklin and one guard entered, coughing. The guard slammed the door behind them to keep out the gas. When he turned around, he found his vision filled with Scott's fist. With no time for the guard to react, Scott's fist found its mark and the guard crumpled to the ground. Scott picked up the rifle and pointed it at Franklin.

Franklin however seemed oblivious to the fact that he now had a gun pointed at him. He ranted at Jeff. "Damn you Jeff. I don't know how you did it, but you have a team trying to rescue you."

"Give it up Franklin." Jeff said. "It's over. You can't win."

"I may not win, but neither will you." Franklin sneered, pulling the vial of antidote from his pocket.

"Give that to me." Jeff ordered.

"No way Jeff," Franklin replied. "You can live the rest of your life knowing that you killed John."

The next few seconds were a blurred chaos.

Franklin began to pull the top off the vial. "I will have my revenge." He said.

"**NO!**" Jeff roared heading toward Franklin.

Virgil noticed that the guard had awoken and had pulled a hand gun from a hidden holster. As the guard took aim, Virgil rushed his father. "**LOOK OUT!**" He yelled, but it was drowned out by the sound of a gunshot.

* * *

Author's note: A GUN? Ok, did we shoot Jeff or not? (Grins evilly.) If you want to find out what happened, please review. Also sorry that it was a short chapter this time, but sometimes that happens. 


	5. Complications

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 5 – COMPLICATIONS**

Scott saw Virgil move and a second later heard the gunshot. He brought the butt of the rifle down on to the side of the guards head, rendering him unconscious again. Scott picked up the hand gun and checked the guard for any other weapons.

Jeff had been forced to the ground when Virgil rushed him. Both Virgil and Jeff sat up and looked in the direction of Franklin. They gasped at the sight that greeted them.

The bullet that had been meant for Jeff had found its mark in Franklin. He was on his back on the floor with a red spot growing across his chest. He was coughing and a trickle of blood leaked from his mouth. What was more alarming though was the puddle growing under the vial that was still in his hand.

"**NO!**" Jeff cried out as he and Virgil both headed toward Franklin.

Virgil reached Franklin's side first. He pried the vial out of Franklin's hand. He held the vial up. "The top was loosened but not completely off. Two-third of it has leaked out." He told his father while securing the cap back on the vial.

Enraged Jeff grabbed the lapels of Franklin's suit jacket. Lifting him slightly off the floor, Jeff yelled in his face. "You have more antidote. I know you do. You have to. Tell me where it is. Tell me now!" He began shaking Franklin in anger while demanding an answer.

By this time, Gordon and Brains had made their way into the room. They watched in silence the drama that was playing out before them.

John painfully made his way over to his dad. "Dad, stop. You've got to let him go. Dad, listen to me. Stop this right now." John told his father while trying to loosen his dad's hands from Franklin's jacket.

"Dad? He (_cough) _called you Dad. (_cough, cough)_" Franklin asked Jeff. An evil smile came to his blood-stained lips. "I win. (_cough)_ I may have lost (_cough)_ the secrets of Inter…(_cough)_ International Rescue. (_cough, cough)_ I will even (_cough)_ lose my life. (_cough)_ But you will lose too. (_cough, cough)_ You will lose (_cough)_ more than me. (_cough)_ You will lose (_cough)_ your son. (_cough)_ Because of that, (_cough, cough)_ I win. (_cough)_ I…" Franklin exhaled his final breath. His now sightless eyes were still staring into Jeff's face.

"NO! No, you can't die! You son of a…" Jeff ranted against Franklin's corpse. "You can't let my son die."

"Dad, stop. This isn't helping." Scott said joining John in pulling his father off of Franklin.

Hearing a groan from John seemed to snap Jeff back to reality. "Your right, Scott, I guess I had let my emotions take over. OK, we need to secure the guards before the gas wears off. Gordon and Scott, you two take care of that." He began to give orders. "Virgil, I want you and Brains to search for anymore vials of the antidote. Start with the office first." As the boys headed to do their Dad's bidding, Jeff turned to John. "Let's get you to Thunderbird 2."

"But Dad, I want to help." John protested.

"You can help the most by getting out of here." Jeff told John. "We are worried enough about you. I want you somewhere safe, and Thunderbird 2 is as safe as we can get right now."

"OK," John said giving in to his father. "But you have to promise to keep me updated on what is going on."

"Promise." Jeff said as he put an arm around his son's waist and guided him out of the warehouse. They stepped out into the sunshine and headed toward the Thunderbirds. They stopped after a few steps when they realized that both the Thunderbirds were covered in camouflaged netting.

Jeff turned slightly back to the open warehouse door. "Gordon!" He roared.

Gordon appeared at the door. "Yeah, Dad?"

Motioning toward the Thunderbirds with his head, Jeff ordered. "Grab the laser cutters and get that garbage off those ships."

Gordon nodded. "F-A-B." He headed to do his dad's bidding but stopped when he heard his dad's voice again.

"And Gordon," Jeff said. "Neatness doesn't matter."

"You got it." Gordon said with a grin on his face and he continued on his way to get the laser cutter.

Jeff got John settled on a bed in Thunderbird 2's medical bay. "I'm going to go check on your brothers. Try to get some rest. We'll be back soon."

Gordon had finished cutting the netting off the Thunderbirds and had returned to help his brothers by the time that Jeff had returned to the warehouse. He found that Scott and Gordon had secured the guards in the same room that they had been held in. They were now helping Virgil and Brains search for the antidote. "Did you find anything?" Jeff asked.

"We found the dampening field controls." Virgil told his dad. "We turned it off and contacted the local authorities to take care of the guards. They said that it would take them about twenty minutes to get to this 'remote' location."

"But what about the antidote?" Jeff asked.

"No, sorry Dad." Virgil said.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?" Jeff asked incredulously.

"Mr. Tracy," Brains began. "It would have re-re-taken a well st-st-st-supplied lab to have cr-cr-cr-made this poison and anti-anti-cure. There is no in-in-in-sign of that here."

"So what you're saying is…" Jeff began but was interrupted by Scott.

"Franklin created the poison somewhere else and only brought what he needed for immediate use. The rest is probably locked away safe and sound wherever the lab is." Scott said.

"It's probably not too far away." Virgil said. At the confused looks on his father's and brothers' faces, he continued. "Remember, just after he injected John, he told us that Scott and I would also be poisoned if we didn't give in. The lab or at least where he is storing it has to be close by."

"OK, this is what we are going to do." Jeff began to give orders. "Virgil, do you still have that partial vial?"

"Right here." Virgil said holding up the vial.

"Good. Give it to Brains." Turning to Scott, Jeff continued. "Scott, I want you to fly Brains back to the Island in Thunderbird 1. Brains, I want you to analyze the remaining antidote and make a copy of it."

"That could take t-t-t-awhile." Brains said.

"According to Franklin, we still have a couple of days before it's too late." Jeff told him. "But make it as quick as you can. I hate seeing John suffer, and it's only supposed to get worse. Go, Scott."

"Should we take John with us?" Scott asked his dad.

"No, there is still a chance that we may find the antidote here." Jeff replied. "Besides, he would be more comfortable flying back in Thunderbird 2's medical bay where he can stretch out instead of being cramped in Thunderbird 1."

"You're right, of course." Scott said with a sigh. "Just keep me informed, OK?"

"Of course, I will." Jeff said. "Now please get going."

"F-A-B." Scott said and he and Brains left the warehouse.

"What about us?" Virgil asked.

Jeff ran a hand over his face. "OK, we need to wait for the police anyways. So while we are waiting for them to get here, we can use the computers on Thunderbird 2 to see if Franklin owned or rented any properties around there. If we can find any, those would be a good place to start looking for his lab. Also, these guards should be waking up soon. I want to question them. Maybe they know something."

"OK, Dad." Virgil said. "Maybe John can give us a hand with the computer."

"Only if he is still awake," Jeff said. "If he is already asleep, let him be. At least when he is asleep, he is not consciously feeling the pain."

Jeff spent the next few minutes pacing in front of Thunderbird 2 waiting for the police. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he went to check on his sons. John was asleep in the medical bay. Jeff could see the pain on John's face, even though he was sleeping. Jeff moved to the lab area where Virgil and Gordon were doing the computer research on Franklin.

"Have you found anything?" Jeff asked.

"Not much," Virgil said. "The first thing that we had to do was find the right 'Donald Franklin'. It's a pretty common name. The first search yielded 1,249 different men, so it took us a while to narrow it down."

"Are you sure that you have the right one?" Jeff asked, not wanting to spend time on a search for the wrong person.

Virgil nodded. "We were able to identify him from a picture that was posted on the net."

"So what have you found out?" Jeff asked.

"Most of what we have uncovered so far is his educational facts." Gordon said. "This man was a genius. He had a medical degree and a doctorate in chemistry also. In addition to that, he had master degrees in physics, biology and psychiatry. He spent twelve years as a highly respected professor in the science department at the University of Michigan. Then he spent seven years as a researcher for the Mayo clinic. The first five years, he had an exemplary work record, but the last two years he began to get more and more reprimands until finally he was fired for unethical testing practices. That was three years ago. He seemed to have disappeared after that. There are no employment records for him. I can't find any rental properties or sales to indicate where he had been living. Hell, I can't even find a driver's license for him."

Jeff could tell that Gordon was getting frustrated. "It's OK, Gordon. I know that you have done your best. Franklin was good at covering his tracks. Obviously he had been planning this for a long time."

"What's going on?" John's voice came from behind Jeff.

Jeff, Gordon and Virgil all turned and saw John leaning heavily against the wall, obviously in pain.

"John," Jeff said. "You should be lying down."

"No," John said adamantly. "I've laid down enough, and now I want to do something. I **need** to do something."

"All right, John," Jeff told him. "We were trying to dig up any record that might give us a clue to where Franklin's lab is."

"Yeah, but so far all we have come up with is a big fat zero." Gordon said in disgust.

"Let me give it a try." John said, as he made his way over to the chair which Gordon had just vacated for him.

"Have a go at it." Gordon said as he moved out of his brother's way.

Jeff knew that out of all of them, John was the most proficient on the computer. It also gave him something to think about other than his own plight. Jeff knew that if there was anything to be found, John would find it.

"Gordon," Jeff said to his young son. "The police will be here soon. As soon as we turn over these men to them, we will be taking off. I want you to take off now in the helijet. We will pick you up in Phoenix."

"What about Tracy Three?" Gordon asked.

"We'll leave it in Phoenix until all this gets straightened out." Jeff replied. "We can fly back later and get it."

"Are you sure that it is safe?" Gordon asked. "What if the police were on Franklin's payroll? They may want to finish what he started."

"We will be careful." Jeff told him. "I have no intention of walking into another trap. There will always be someone in Thunderbird 2. If the police do turn on us, they can take off and bring back reinforcements. OK?"

Gordon nodded his head. "OK Dad, I'll meet you in Phoenix." He said as he headed out of Thunderbird 2.

The police showed up a few minutes later. Things went as smoothly as expected. The police took custody of the prisoners and also took statements from the three remaining Tracys. After receiving a promise from Jeff that the other members of International Rescue would be in touch to give their statements, the police left.

When Jeff re-entered Thunderbird 2, he found John staring at the computer with a frown on his face. "John? Did you find anything?" Jeff asked.

"Absolutely nothing." John spat out. In an uncharacteristic display of anger, John pounded his clenched fist against the work station. He gasped in pain and pulled his arm back cradling it against his chest.

"Are you OK?" Jeff asked, moving quickly to his son's side.

"Not a smart move," John grimaced. "That's what I get for letting my emotions get the better of me."

"Well, if I were in your shoes, I know that my emotions would have gotten the better of me a long time ago." Jeff said. "You've handled this situation remarkably well so far. I wish that there was something that I could do for you."

"I know you do. Just be here for me because I really don't know how much longer I can keep myself together.' John said.

"Don't worry about that. I'll be here for you, so will your brothers." Jeff said. "We'll be back on the Island soon. Things will get better from here on out, I'm sure.'

"I certainly hope so.' John said resignedly.

"So, you didn't find anything at all on Franklin?" Jeff re-asked his question.

John sighed. "No, nothing since he left the Mayo clinic. It's like he fell off the face of the planet. There is just nothing out there to find. Franklin did an excellent job at hiding his tracks. You know, he was insane, but he was also a genius. He thought of all the different contingencies and thwarted each one."

"I know." Jeff said. "It's a shame that he was intent on evil. He could've used his intelligence to benefit mankind. Who knows what he could have done? You look beat. Why don't we get you settled in a bed for the trip home?"

John's simple "OK" told Jeff how badly John was feeling. Jeff helped John back to the bed and strapped him in for the flight home. He asked John. "Do you want something to help you sleep?"

John shook his head. "No, I want to be awake and alert for as long as I can. Time is starting to run out. Isn't it?"

"Don't talk like that." Jeff said sharply. Jeff regretted his tone when he saw John start. Softening his voice, he continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap. I'm sure that by the time that we get back to the Island Brains will have a copy of the antidote." Jeff keyed the inter-comm. "Virgil, we're ready back here. Let's grab Gordon and head home."

"F-A-B," came Virgil's response, as Thunderbird 2's engines fired.

By the time that Thunderbird 2 had reached Phoenix, John had fallen into a fitful sleep. Gordon entered through the rear hatch and headed straight to the medical bay. "How is…" he stopped talking when Jeff put his finger to his lips.

"Shhh… He just fell asleep a few minutes ago." Jeff told him. He keyed the inter-comm again. "Gordon's on board, Virgil. Let's get going." He said quietly.

Again the engines roared to life as Virgil acknowledged his dad's order with a "F-A-B."

In quiet tones Jeff and Gordon engaged in conversation.

"I can't believe that this is happening." Gordon said. "What is the human race coming to? I mean… What kind of sick human being could do this to another?"

"I wish I could tell you." Jeff said resignedly. "Franklin was power-hungry. He did horrible things to try to attain that power, but how a gifted medical researcher turned into the mad-man that we met here, I will never understand."

"Dad," Gordon began but stopped.

"Gordon?" Jeff questioned.

Gordon locked his gaze on his sleeping brother. In a choked voice, he quietly asked. "Is he going to die?"

Jeff's first instinct was to yell at Gordon for his negativity, but the look on Gordon's face stopped him. He reminded himself that even though Gordon was a member of International Rescue, he was still just a young man, a teenager actually, just having celebrated his nineteenth birthday a few months before. Jeff placed his hand on Gordon's shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze. "No, he is not going to die." He said. "Brains is working on duplicating the antidote. We have to have faith in him. He has never let us down yet."

"Yeah, but…" Gordon began but was interrupted by a series of moans from John.

Jeff moved to the bed and spoke to his ill child. "John? Can I get you anything?"

John continued to moan and he struggled against the safety restraints.

"John," Jeff said. "You need to calm down. You'll hurt yourse…" His words were cut off when John's eyes flew open.

"Dad." He gasped still struggling against the restraints. Swallowing hard he whispered. "Sick."

It only took that one word for Jeff to realize what was happening and why John was struggling. "Gordon, emesis basin, now." Jeff ordered as he began unfastening the restraints. He had gotten the shoulder restraint off and was working on the middle restraint. He had gotten it loosened but not off when John rolled himself to his side and began to vomit forcefully over the edge of the bed.

Gordon saw John move and tried to get the emesis basin to him, but he was a few seconds late. The vomit hit the floor and splattered against Jeff and Gordon's legs. Gordon screwed his face up and almost said something but the warning look on his dad's face stopped him. He silently held the basin for his brother who continued to be sick.

Jeff spoke what he hoped was soothing encouragement while helping support his son. When John's heaving stomach subsided, he asked. "Better now? Do you want some water?" John nodded his head even while he remained on his side. Gordon appeared a few seconds later with a bottle of water and a fresh basin. Jeff helped John sit up enough so he could rinse his mouth and then took a few sips of water.

"Oh God, that hurt." John groaned as Jeff settled him back on to the bed. "Sorry for throwing up on you guys."

"Don't worry about that. It's not like you could help it." Gordon said while he cleaned up the mess on the floor.

John looked at his father with a raised eyebrow. "You gave him 'a look', didn't you?"

Gordon choked back a laugh, but Jeff shrugged and in an indignant tone replied. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

This time Gordon couldn't stop the laugh from escaping his lips.

Even John smiled. "Sure Dad, you would never give any of us a look that says 'straighten up or else', now would you?"

Gordon let out another laugh.

"OK, I didn't want him to upset you. So sue me." Jeff said with a laugh.

"I'd rather be treated normally." John said. "Even if that means putting up with Gordon's smart-alec remarks, I… Oh God, not again." John clutched at his stomach. This time it was Gordon that supported John while Jeff held the basin. John endured another bout of vomiting. After he rinsed his mouth, he laid back down.

"Can I get you anything?" Jeff asked.

"No, I'm going to try to rest. Thanks anyways." John said.

Jeff keyed the comm. "Virgil, how much longer?"

"We are 22.7 minutes from the Island." Virgil replied.

"Can you push her any faster?" Jeff asked.

"No, why? What's happened?" Virgil asked with concern in his voice. Before Jeff could answer, he heard John moan "Oh God." He winced in sympathy as he heard John vomit. He could hear his Dad talking to Gordon.

"Let's try raising the head of the bed. Maybe he will feel more comfortable." Jeff was saying. "OK, grab a damp cloth and wipe his face."

"Dad?" Virgil asked over the open comm.

"Sorry Virgil, small interruption." Jeff said.

"How long has he been doing that?" He asked his father.

"This was the third time." Jeff explained. "Although this time it was mostly bile, since his stomach is pretty empty."

"Ok Dad, I'm going to try to get more speed out of her." Virgil said.

"Do your best, but don't take any chances." Jeff replied.

"F-A-B." Virgil said as he cut the link to his father. To his 'bird he said. "Come on baby, we need to get my brother home as quick as we can." He pushed the throttle forward and smiled as Thunderbird 2 increased her speed slightly. He was willing to take any increase no matter how small. He just wanted to get home.

Scott was waiting for them when Virgil backed Thunderbird 2 into her hanger. The sight that met him in the medical bay was heartbreaking. Gordon was sitting on the bed, holding John in his arms. John leaned against his brother with his arms wrapped tightly around his abdomen and his knees pulled upward to his chest. The bouts of vomiting that he had experienced had turned into painful dry heaves as there was nothing more in his stomach to expel. Agonizing whimpers escaped his lips as involuntary tears fell from his tightly closed eyes. Jeff was setting up the hover-stretcher.

"Dad?" Scott questioned his dad.

Jeff looked up when he heard Scott's voice. "Scott, good you're here." He said while at the same time Virgil joined them in the medical bay. "Both of you." He said acknowledging Virgil's presence. "I need you two to help Gordon get John down to the infirmary. I'm going to find Brains. We'll meet you there."

"Brains was in his lab, the last time I checked." Scott told him.

"Thanks, Scott." Jeff said as he headed for the door. He stopped next to Virgil and grasped his shoulder. "You did a good job getting us here as quick as you did. Thank you, son." He told Virgil.

Virgil just nodded as he tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

* * *

Jeff found Brains in his lab. "Brains," he said to get the engineer's attention.

"M-M-Mr. Tracy." Brains said. "I didn't h-h-h-notice that you were b-b-b-here."

"We just got back." Jeff said. "The boys are taking John to the infirmary. I told them that we would meet them there. Is the antidote ready?"

"M-M-I-I-I Th-Th," Brains cleared his throat and looked Jeff straight in the eye. "We have a problem."

* * *

Author's note:

From Convert: Yikes! Grumpy and her posse have found me. I have to find a new place to hide.

From Grumpy: Come back here you coward! You will pay for what you have done to John!

OK, here's the next chapter. How mean are we? Just when you think that things are looking up. Problem? What kind of problem have they run in to now?


	6. Problems

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 6 – PROBLEMS**

"Problem?" Jeff asked in alarm. "What kind of problem?"

"I analyzed the an-an-serum." Brains explained. "John is allergic to one of the in-in-in-components."

Jeff ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Can this get any worse?"

"I have been w-w-w-developing other possibilities." Brains told Jeff.

"You have?" Jeff asked. "Do you have a cure?"

"I have four possible an-an-cures." Brains began. "I need some bl-bl-bl-samples from John. I need to ex-ex-ex-test to see which if any st-st-counteracts the poison."

"How long will that take?" Jeff asked.

Brains sighed. "At least tw-tw-tw-a day, probably closer to thirty-six hours."

"Thirty six hours!" Jeff exploded. "That's cutting it close. It's already been fifty hours. Another thirty-six, will take us to less than two days."

"I kn-kn-kn-am aware of the time con-con-line." Brains said testily. "These things t-t-require time. I can't ch-ch-ch-alter scientific laws or per-per-make a miracle happen. I can only do my b-b-b-wh-wh…"

"I know Brains." Jeff interrupted. He was ashamed of the way that he took his frustration out on Brains. He could tell that Brains was just as frustrated because he very rarely ever addressed Jeff in anything other than a respectful tone. "And I'm sorry about yelling at you. I know that you are doing your best. I'm frustrated. This whole situation just keeps getting worse and worse, and there is nothing that I can do about it. I **hate** feeling this helpless."

"I kn-kn-kn-understand Mr. Tracy." Brains said in a calmer tone. "I feel the s-s-it too. I'm going to get the s-s-s-blood from John. The s-s-quicker I get them the qu-qu-sooner I will have a c-c-c-antidote."

"Thank you Brains." Jeff said as they walked toward the infirmary. "While you are collecting the blood samples, is there anything that you can do for John? He's in a lot of pain, and on the way home he began to vomit."

"I can only do what John al-al-let's me." Brains said. "I can s-s-s-give him an IV to replace his fl-fl-fl-to keep him hydrated. I can give him something to st-st-st-conteract the vomiting. I can also give him a p-p-p-something to stop the pain."

By this time, they had reached the infirmary. Jeff clasped Brains on the shoulder, and said. "Do whatever you can do."

They entered the infirmary and found the four Tracy boys there. John laid on his side on one of the beds curled up in the fetal position. His eyes were tightly closed. Gordon stood on one side of the bed lightly rubbing John's back, trying to help him relax. Virgil and Scott stood at the foot of the bed looking uncomfortably at a loss. They turned when they heard the door open. Their faces lit up expectantly when they saw Brains.

Brains moved to John's bedside. "John, how are you f-f-f-doing?" He asked.

"Been better." John said. Unfortunately speaking sent him into another bout of stomach spasms. John pulled himself into a tighter ball trying to fight off the pain.

Gordon continued rubbing John's back and quietly spoke encouragement. "Concentrate on your breathing. Inhale, exhale slowly. That's it." Slowly the heaving subsided and John unwound himself slightly with a groan.

"John," Brains said. "I'm going to have to dr-dr-dr-take some blood."

Gordon, Scott and Virgil started and looked between Brains and their father waiting for an explanation. John cracked one eye open and looked at Brains. "Why?" He asked.

Brains looked at Jeff questioningly. Jeff gave Brains a nod, and Brains moved to the cabinets to gather the supplies he needed while Jeff began to explain. "We ran into a small problem when Brains analyzed the antidote. John, you are allergic to one of the components in the antidote."

As expected there was a round of gasps of disbelief.

"This can't be happening." Virgil said, staring at the floor.

Gordon let out a quiet, "Oh God," while he battled the tears that had flooded his eyes.

"What are we going to do now?" Scott asked his father.

"I knew…it wasn't…going to be easy." John said painfully.

"Just settle down boys." Jeff said. "Brains has been working on alternative antidotes. That's why he wants the blood samples. We are **not** giving up. Remember that."

Brains returned to John's bedside. "John, I need ac-ac-ac-to get to your arm."

John unfolded himself enough so he could straighten his arm out. He looked Brains in the eyes. Painfully he told him, "I want…to thank you…for all you…have done. No matter…how things…turn out. I know…you've done…everything…you could."

Brains drew three vials of blood out of John's arm. "Your f-f-f-dad said that you have been v-v-throwing up. I would like to s-s-s-put you on an IV. I can also give you med-med-something to stop the v-v-v-heaving."

John closed his eyes but nodded his head. He winced at the pain that it caused.

Brains and Jeff both noticed the wince. Brains continued. "Do you want a pain k-k-k-reliever?"

John quietly said. "Yeah…I think that might…be a good idea."

Jeff and Brains exchanged looks. All the Tracy boys acted like enduring pain was a test of their manhood. For John to agree to a pain killer, spoke volumes of the pain that he was in.

"OK, John," Brains said. "I'll be r-r-r-back shortly." Turning toward the two brothers at the end of the bed, holding out the vials, he asked. "Virgil, could you t-t-t-return these to the lab. Tin-Tin is w-w-w-expecting them. I have already given her in-in-in-directions on what to do."

"Sure Brains," Virgil replied as he took the vials from Brains and headed out the door.

While Brains started setting up the IV, Scott moved to stand next to his father and began a quiet conversation. "What about Alan?" He asked. "Shouldn't he be notified?"

"No, not yet." Jeff said. "Let's give Brains the twenty-four hours he needs to develop a new antidote. I don't want to worry him needlessly."

"Needlessly!" Scott said in quiet exasperation. "How can you say that? John's been poisoned. He's dying! And even though I have a tremendous amount of faith in Brains, there is no guarantee that one of his alternative cures will work. Alan needs to be brought home. He needs to be allowed to spend time with John just in case the worst happens."

"No, I said no." Jeff said with determination. "If Brains hasn't come up with something by tomorrow, then I will bring Alan home. Until then, I don't want him to worry."

"Alan's not going to like that." Scott countered.

"It's my decision, Scott." Jeff said as his anger was rising. "I will deal with Alan after all I am his father."

"Dad?" A weak voice called from the bed.

Jeff moved to the side of the bed. Gordon moved away from the bed. At the same time, Brains was adjusting the IV drip. "Yes John?" Jeff asked his son.

"What are…you two fighting…about?" John asked.

Scott answered John before Jeff had a chance to answer. "Aww John, we weren't fighting. We were just having a difference of opinion."

John gave Scott a disbelieving look. "Yeah…sure." Even through the pain, Scott could hear the sarcasm in John's statement.

Brains broke in. "OK John, this f-f-f-injection is for the v-v-throwing up." He said as he injected the medicine into the IV's side injection port.

"Who's going…to tell…me what the…difference…of opinion…is?" John questioned his brother and father.

This time it was Jeff who answered. "We were discussing a rotation so that someone is always with you."

"I don't…need a…babysitter, Dad." John said as he closed his eyes.

Jeff moved closer to the bed and took John's free hand in his own. "I know son, but it's what we want to do."

Brains brought another syringe up to the injection port. "John, this injection is the p-p-p-medicine to stop the pain." He said while injecting the painkiller.

John just nodded his head to acknowledge that he had heard Brains. Brains moved away from the bed to dispose of the used syringes and to put the medicine vials away. Jeff sat on the edge of the bed watching his ill son.

A few seconds later, John's eyes flew open. "Dad!" He said in a strangled gasp. He pulled his hand from his dad's and began to claw at the IV.

Jeff grabbed both of John's hands. He could see the panic in his son's eyes. "John, what's wrong." He yelled, fear beginning to rise in him.

"Burns" John gasped.

Jeff felt his heart jump into his throat as John's eyes rolled back and his body began to convulse.

**"BRAINS!"** Jeff yelled in pure panic.

* * *

Author's notes:

Grumpy: **NO!** (She screams and drops to the floor, rolled up in the fetal position.)

Convert: (Pokes Grumpy with a stick.) Grumpy, are you dead? Oh man, I am so out of here. I have this feeling that I am dead meat. Some of the reviewers are scary. (Just kidding.)

OK, folks. Here's the next chapter. We know it is short, but the drama factor demanded a chapter break here. The next chapter will be longer, we promise. Please review. We really do enjoy hearing from our readers.


	7. OneSided Conversations

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 7 – ONE SIDED CONVERSATIONS**

Brains and Scott were both at John's bedside immediately.

"What happened?" Scott demanded while trying to help his father hold John down.

"He's having an al-al-al-reaction to one of the meds." Brains said.

Gordon ran to the medicine locker and began to pull out the medicines and supplies that Brains was calling for.

"Has he had these meds before?" Jeff asked in frustration.

"Of c-c-c-yes he has." Brains answered as he gave John medicine to try to stop the convulsions. "He has never r-r-r-had a reaction like this."

"Then why is he having a reaction now?" Scott questioned.

"It must be a reaction to the com-com-poison and the meds." Brains tried to explain while still working on John.

"What the hell happened?" Virgil demanded as he came into the middle of the chaos.

"Virgil, get T-T-Tin-Tin." Brains ordered.

Virgil raced back to the lab. In less than two minutes, Tin-Tin had arrived and began assisting Brains. It took seven minutes for the convulsion to finally subside. Although to the Tracys, it seemed like an eternity. Once the convulsion was over, John slipped into a "dead-to-the-world" sleep.

Brains drew some more blood. "I will try to de-de-ascertain which meds caused the con-con-seizure. We don't want this to ha-ha-ha-be repeated. I will be in the lab. C-C-C-send for me if any more problems ar-ar-come up."

"Is he going to be OK?" Jeff asked in a quiet tone.

Brains' heart broke for Jeff. "I'm sorry. I d-d-can't give you any answers r-r-r-at this time."

Jeff gave Brains a nod of understanding while rubbing his hand over his face. "Thanks Brains." He said. Jeff looked at his other sons. "We need to set up a rotation to sit with John. We can take four hour shifts."

"I'll take the first shift Dad." Virgil volunteered.

Jeff looked at his son. "OK Virgil, if that's what you want." Virgil nodded his head so Jeff continued. "The rest of us should get something to eat and then some rest.'

The boys somberly nodded their heads and headed toward the door. Gordon paused and asked Virgil, "Do you want anything from the kitchen?"

Virgil sighed. "Maybe just some coffee. I'm not really hungry."

Gordon nodded his head. "I understand. I feel the same way. I'll be back shortly." He said as he left the infirmary.

Virgil moved his chair closer to his brother's bed. He picked up John's limp hand and began to talk quietly to him. "John, I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that I love you. I know we don't say the words that often. It isn't macho. If there was anyway that I could stop what is happening, I would. I hate seeing you in this much pain. I just feel so helpless."

Virgil felt John's hand tighten around his. "John? Can you hear me?" He questioned, but John's eyes remained shut. Virgil felt tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to brush them away, but the tears were building faster than he could wipe them away. "Oh God John." He choked out. He laid his head on his brother's bed and let the tears flow. He sobbed out the fear and emotional upheaval that had been building for the last two days.

Gordon stood outside the infirmary with the coffee and listened to his brother's harsh sobs. He had to fight his own tears. He turned and headed back to the kitchen. There was no way that he was going to embarrass Virgil by walking in on him in that state.

* * *

Scott was the only one in the kitchen when he returned. He noticed the coffee pot still in Gordon's hand. "I thought you were taking the coffee to Virgil."

"Uhm, yeah." Gordon stumbled for an explanation. "But then I decided to take him some food. He needs to eat even if he isn't hungry." Gordon grabbed a tray and started to lay out a light meal.

Scott could tell that Gordon was hiding something. "Are you sure that's all it is?"

"Sure Scott," Gordon replied forcing a smile to his face. "What else would it be?"

Scott knew how stubborn Gordon could be. He knew that if he tried to force the issue, Gordon would clam up even more. "If you ever want to talk, I'm always ready to listen. You know that, don't you?"

"Of course Scott." Gordon said. "I hope you know that the offer goes both ways."

Scott nodded and smiled. "Do you want me to take the tray to Virgil?"

Gordon shook his head. "No, I'll do it. Besides you have the next shift, you had better get some rest." He grabbed the now full tray and headed back to the infirmary, hoping that Virgil had pulled himself together by now.

* * *

Four hours later, Scott relieved Virgil. "Any change?" He asked.

"Not really," Virgil replied. "He's moved around a bit in his sleep. He even opened his eyes a couple of times, but they were glassed-over and he seemed disoriented."

"OK, I'll take over from here." He said. "Did you eat anything?"

"A little bit." Virgil replied.

"Good, then why don't you try to get some rest?" Scott suggested.

"All right, but I want you to let me know if there is any change." Virgil replied.

Scott nodded and Virgil left the room. He sat in the chair that had been vacated by Virgil and in a similar gesture picked up John's hand and held it in his own.

"Hey John." He said watching for any indication that John had heard him. Receiving none, he continued his one-sided conversation. "Everybody is really worried about you right now. Dad keeps telling us to rest but I know that he's not. I'm kind of worried about him. I know that he is blaming himself. Hell, we are all feeling guilty." Scott's voice choked with emotion, but he cleared his throat and continued. "I'm really sorry that this is happening to you. I would do anything if I could switch places with you, but you know the old saying, 'If wishes were horses…' You've got to fight this John. Please fight. Don't give up."

Scott could feel his emotions building again, so he decided to change topics slightly. "Do you remember the last time that I carried on a one-sided conversation with you? It was when I went to the hospital to see you that time when you had pneumonia. Do you remember? You were what? Nine? No you must have been ten because I was twelve. I was the only one old enough to go visit you. Virgil was really mad. At the age of eight, he hated being told that he was too young to do things." Scott smiled at the memories of when he and his brothers were younger. "Gordon though, his reaction was the best. Mom had stayed at the hospital with you, but dad had come home to let us know what was going on. When he told us that you had to stay in the hospital, Gordon wanted to know if you were getting a new baby. After all, the only person that he knew who had gone to the hospital was mom when she had Alan. I guess he equated going to the hospital with having a baby." Scott began to chuckle. "You should have seen the look on dad's face. He had been so worried about you and then here was Gordon asking a seemingly innocent question about babies. It really helped ease some of the tension." Scott sobered again. "I wish that we had something now to ease the tension."

Scott leaned in close to his brother. "You have to fight John. Brains is working non-stop to find an antidote. You just have to hang on until he finds it. I know that a lot of times it seems we take you for granted, but I'm telling you right now, **YOU** are a very important part of this family. You are our confidant, our anchor. We need you, John. **I** need you, John. Please, for me, hang on. I love you John." Scott took a deep breath as a lone tear made its way down his face.

* * *

When Gordon reached the infirmary to relieve Scott, he found Scott still talking to a sleeping John, recounting their childhood memories.

"Do you remember the time that Gordon told Alan…" Scott was saying but stopped when he saw Gordon. "Uh…Hi, Gordon. Is my shift over already?"

"Yeah, it is." Gordon replied. "How's he doing?"

"He's been pretty quiet.' Scott replied as he stood up from the chair. "He moved and groaned a bit but nothing else."

Gordon sighed as he sat in the vacated chair. "Scott?" He questioned. "Do you really think Brains can find a cure?"

"Of course he will." Scott said.

Turning to face his oldest brother, he asked. "How can you be so sure?" Even as he asked the question, he could see the doubt that crossed Scott's face.

"I don't think that this is the time or place to be discussing this." Scott said cocking his head toward the bed.

Gordon nodded his head to indicate that he understood Scott's meaning. "Can we talk later?"

"Sure, just come and find me." Scott said. "Oh, and let me know right away if there is any change." Then he left the room.

Gordon sat in the chair and stared at his brother. He was at a loss for what to do. He knew that Scott and Virgil had spent their time talking to John, but he couldn't think of what to say to his ill brother. So instead, he bowed his head and began to pray.

_Dear God,_

_I know that it's been awhile since I've prayed to you. I know there are people who would berate me for only praying in times of extreme need, but I don't care. My brother needs your intervention. He was poisoned and is dying. He doesn't deserve this, God. You know what a wonderful, caring person John is. Please help him. Help Brains as he tries to develop a cure, or if you want to perform a miracle healing, I won't mind. Please God, I'll do anything to save my brother. I'll become a better person. I promise. I'll pray more. I'll even start going to church. I'm not sure how I can work it out logistically, but I'll find a way. Please God, please, for my brother's sake."_

Tears began to fall from Gordon's eyes. He picked up John's hand. He raised his eyes to the ceiling and continued his prayer.

_Please, I'm begging for my brother's life. Please, I mean it. I'll do anything. I'll be nicer to my brothers. I'll help them whenever they ask. I'll even stop the jokes. I'm that serious God, no more practical jokes…_

"Don't." A quiet voice interrupted Gordon.

Gordon looked down into his brother's half-opened, pain-filled eyes. "John! You're awake." He exclaimed, although he was confused by John's remark.

John winced. "Not so loud.' He told his younger brother.

"Oh sorry." Gordon said in a quieter voice. "Can you stay awake for awhile? Dad wants to see you. I think the drug reaction that you had really scared him.'

This time it was John who was confused by Gordon's statement, but he figured that he could ask later. "Yeah, I'd like to see dad." He said.

"Ok, I'll let him know that you're awake." Gordon said as he keyed the comm.-link and let both Jeff and Scott know that John was awake. Turning back to John, he asked. "Do you need something? Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Yeah, don't give up your jokes." John said in a weak voice.

"What?" Gordon asked.

"When I…" John cleared his throat and began again in a slightly stronger tone. "When I woke up, you were saying something about giving up your jokes. You can't." John took a deep breath but winced as a sharp pain cut across his chest.

"John!" Gordon said in alarm.

"I'm…OK," John gasped as he fought to bring his breathing back under control. "Oh God, that wasn't a smart thing to do. Can you help raise the bed?" He asked his voice soft and breathy.

"Sure," Gordon replied as he helped raise the bed. "Better?" He asked.

"Yes, thanks Gordon." John said. "But back to you. Your jokes are a big part of who you are. If you stop playing jokes, it would change your whole personality. I don't want that to happen. Promise me, OK Gordon."

"OK John, I promise." Gordon said with a sigh.

"Good," John said with a small smile. "Because it would be boring here without your jokes."

Gordon made a face. "Thanks, I think." He said with a small laugh. John joined in with a laugh of his own. That's how Jeff found them a few minutes later.

"John," Jeff said relief evident in his voice. "It's so good to see you awake."

"Thanks Dad." John said. "But what happened?"

Jeff ran a hand over his face. "Apparently, the poison Franklin created reacted with the painkiller that Brains gave you…badly. You ended up having a convulsion."

"Just great." John said sarcastically.

"Well Brains did a few tests," Jeff explained. "He found out that it was the painkiller that caused the reaction. The medicine for the vomiting was OK so you've been getting a steady dose of that through your IV. He also found out that acetaminophen and ibuprofen were also OK. Brains has been giving you alternate doses. It won't kill the pain entirely, but it should take some of the edge off."

"Well, at least that's something. Any news on an antidote?" John asked.

"Not yet," Jeff said with a sigh. "When we got back, Brains said that it would be between 24 and 36 hours before we knew anything. It's only been a little over sixteen hours, so we still have some time to wait."

"Well at least I won't be puking." John said with a small smile.

Scott entered the sickroom. "Hey, John. It's good to see you awake."

John gave Gordon a wry look. Motioning toward Scott, he said. "Jeff Jr. hey?"

John and Gordon broke into a fit of giggles. Seeing the confused look on Jeff's and Scott's face caused them to laugh even harder.

John pulled himself into a ball. "Stop…stop…it hurts."

Gordon sobered immediately. He got right in front of John's face. "Look at me. Concentrate on your breathing. In…out…in…out. Not too deep. Nice and even. That's it."

Slowly John's pain receded and he lay back on the bed.

"I'm sorry, John." Gordon said.

"It's not your fault. I made the joke." John replied, pain still etched on his face.

"I still should have known better, and I'm sorry." Gordon said. "Can I get you something? Something to eat or drink, maybe?"

"Maybe some apple juice," John replied. "Nothing to eat. Even though I am on medicine, I really don't feel like testing my stomach."

"OK, I'll be back in a few minutes." Gordon said as he headed for the door.

"Thanks, Gordy." John said.

After Gordon left the room, John turned to Scott. "Could you go talk to Gordon? He's trying to hide it, but I can tell that he is having a hard time with this."

Scott looked uncertain for a moment. "Sure John, I'll see what I can do." He said as he left the room.

Jeff shook his head as he sat in the chair next to the bed. "You amaze me John. You are so sick, yet you are still in tune with your brother's feelings."

"Practice." John said. "Just like I can tell that you're blaming yourself for this. It's not your fault."

"John, I…it's just…" Jeff cleared his throat. "I am responsible. I started International Rescue to help people, but now it may cost me my son."

"Hey, I thought you were the one that said not to give up, to have faith in Brains." John said. "Besides, we all knew that there were dangers involved when we joined International Rescue. I knew the risks, and I accepted them. So stop beating yourself up about this."

Jeff smiled at John. "You're right. We can't give up. Brains is a brilliant scientist and I'm sure that he will come through for us. How'd you get so smart anyways?"

John smiled back at Jeff. "I had a great role model."

* * *

Just as Scott entered the kitchen, he heard a glass break and a muttered, "Dammit." As he came farther into the kitchen, he saw Gordon kneeling on the floor next to one of the counters. "Gordon?" He asked.

Gordon jumped when he heard Scott's voice, in the process cutting his hand. "God, Scott, you startled me." He said as he jumped up and grabbed a clean towel and pressed it to the cut.

"Sorry," Scott said as he crossed the kitchen. Grabbing Gordon by the shoulders, he steered him to the table. Forcing him into a chair, he continued. "Here, sit down. I'll be right back to help you clean that cut."

Scott quickly cleaned up the broken glass and grabbed the first aid kit. He sat down at the table. "Let me see your hand." He said as he opened the first aid kit. Gordon extended his arm so Scott could have access to his hand. Pulling out an antiseptic wipe he meet Gordon's eyes. "This is going to sting."

"Just do it." Gordon said. He hissed in pain as Scott began to clean out the cut.

"It doesn't look too bad. More like a deep scratch." Scott said. "I'm still going to bandage it just so that it doesn't get infected."

"It's my own fault." Gordon groused. "Shouldn't have been so clumsy."

"Hey, we've all been there. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Scott said as he wrapped the bandage around Gordon's hand. "You know you've been a big help with John. That breathing thing has really helped him deal with the pain. Where'd you learn that?"

Gordon shrugged. "Do you remember when I broke my ribs during that pick-up football game in high school?"

Scott nodded. "You didn't just break your ribs. You punctured your lung and you suffered a severe concussion. Dad was frantic when the hospital called and said that you needed surgery to repair your lung. I had to fly him there because he was too upset."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "I asked if you remembered it. I didn't need it rehashed. Anyways, it was something they showed me in the hospital. The nurse said it had the same basis as Lamaze. If you can control your breathing, it can help manage the pain. I still do it when I get hurt and it helps. I just figured it would help John too."

"Well, you were right." Scott said, pausing a moment and looking Gordon over. "He's worried about you."

Gordon looked Scott in the eye. "Huh?"

"John. He's worried about you." Scott explained. "He asked me to come and talk to you."

"He shouldn't be worrying about me." Gordon snapped. "He's the one that's sick. He's the one who's…" He stopped as his voice cracked with emotion.

"It's OK, Gordon." Scott said softly. "We're all worried about John. It's just that the rest of us have had more time to deal with it. We had to watch it while we were held captive."

Gordon stared down at his hands. He picked at the bandage covering his cut. He refused to meet Scott's eyes.

Scott reached across the table and covered Gordon's hands with his own. "Come on Gordon, talk to me."

"I'm scared Scott." Gordon said in a quiet voice. "I have this horrible feeling that he is going to die. I can't shake it. I know that Brains is working on it, but I still…I can't explain what I'm feeling." Gordon was beginning to ramble and Scott just let him. "I wasn't even this scared when the Hood had us all trapped up on Thunderbird 5 last year. Maybe it was because we were all facing death together. Now it's just John. Why John? Why him? I wish I could trade places with him. Scott, what are we going to do if he…" Gordon couldn't finish the question.

Scott could see the unshed tears in Gordon's eyes. He moved around the table and pulled Gordon into a hug. "We'll deal with this as a family even if…and it's a big if…the worst does happen." Scott could feel Gordon's arms tighten around him.

"Thanks, Scott." Gordon spoke into Scott's embrace. "I guess I just needed to get it off my chest." Pulling back from Scott, he said. "I better get that juice to John."

Scott gave Gordon another quick hug. "OK, but if you need to talk some more, just come and find me."

Gordon nodded his head and he moved to the cupboard to get a fresh glass. "I will…" He was cut off by the sound of the alarm. "Not now." He said, but followed Scott out of the kitchen.

* * *

Author's note:

From Convert: Well, Grumpy moaned when I poked her with the stick, so I guess she isn't dead. That's a relief.

That's our John, as sick as he is, he is worried about his family. At least in this chapter he got a little relief. We want to thank everyone who has reviewed. Please keep it up. It really gives us a boost.


	8. Heart To Heart

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 8 – HEART TO HEART**

Jeff and Virgil were already in the command center when Scott and Gordon arrived.

"What have we got?" Scott asked.

"There is a research vessel about fifty miles off the coast of Nome, Alaska that is floundering in a storm. The storm is keeping local authorities from affecting their own rescue. According to the ship's manifest there is a total of seven people on board." Jeff explained.

"It can't be that big of a ship with only seven people on board." Gordon observed. "They're probably really getting tossed in the storm."

"You're right." Jeff said. "We had better get out there. Scott head out. We'll be right behind you."

"Dad," Scott interrupted. "Why don't you stay here with John? The three of us can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

"Of course," Scott replied. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think we could handle it."

Jeff looked at Gordon. "How about you, Gordon? Do you think you can handle it?"

"What?" Gordon asked with confusion written on his face.

"Your hand," Jeff said. "You're sporting a bandage now that you didn't have before."

"Oh yeah," Gordon glanced down at his hand. "I got a small cut from a broken glass. No big deal. I'm only wearing the bandage to protect it from infection."

Jeff nodded his head. "OK, you three head out. Keep me appraised of the situation. Use the watch-comm, since I will be down with John."

"F-A-B," Scott said as the three brothers disappeared from sight.

* * *

"What's going on?" John asked as his father entered the infirmary. "Big rescue?"

"Not too bad," Jeff said. "Just some boaters who need to be rescued from a storm. It should be pretty straight forward."

John gave a snort. "And we all know how well 'straight forward' rescues can go."

"Well, Scott is going to keep me informed." Jeff said. "If there is a problem Brains and I can head out there to help out, but I doubt we will be needed."

They kept the conversation light. John even dozed a couple of times. Two and a half hours later Scott radioed in.

"It should be pretty routine, Dad." Scott said. "We've been in radio contact with the ship. So far there are no injuries. Gordon is going to go down in the rescue platform. He is going to set down near the rear hatch. The people can go from the hatch right into the rescue platform. Virgil will then raise the platform. He will then drop the rescuees back off in Nome, and we are done."

"OK," Jeff replied. "It sounds like you have everything under control. Call me when you are on your way home."

"F-A-B Dad," Scott hesitated a moment before continuing. "And Dad, how are things at home? Anything from Brains?"

"No," Jeff sighed. "Things are still the same."

"Understood. I will talk to you shortly." Scott said as he cut the vid-link.

"Well, it appears your brothers have everything well in hand." Jeff told John.

"That's good." John said. "Dad?" He began but stopped.

"What is it John?" Jeff asked. "Do you need something? Do you want me to get Brains?"

"No, not Brains." John said, shifting uncomfortably in the bed. "But there is something that you can do for me."

"Anything John." Jeff replied.

"Bring Alan home." John said.

"Alan? Why?" Jeff asked. "Summer break begins next month. You can see him then."

John took a deep breath and winced. "I won't be here next month. You know that."

Jeff interrupted. "If you want to see Alan, I can send one of your brothers up to Five."

"That's not what I meant." John interrupted forcefully, wincing as he tried to control his breathing. "And you know it. You just don't want to admit it."

"John, you can't think like that." Jeff said. "Brains will find a solution. I know it."

"**STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!**" John said angrily. "You've got to quit pretending that everything is OK. I'm dying Dad. Admit it!" He bit his lip to stop the groan that welled up in him.

Jeff tried to respond, but he couldn't seem to get his voice to work. Instead he just stared at his hands. He knew that John was trying to get him to face the truth. A truth that Jeff knew he was running from. A truth that Jeff did not want to face. A truth that Jeff could not face.

John could see his dad struggling with his emotions. Softening his voice some, he continued. "Please Dad, please understand. As much as I want to believe that Brains will find a cure, I have to be prepared for the worst. I have things that I want to say to you, to my brothers, **ALL** my brothers. Please don't take this opportunity from me in a misguided attempt to keep hope alive. Please Dad, for me, bring Alan home."

Jeff still stared at his hands. How could he say no? His son wanted to see his baby brother. His…dying son…The tears began to flow. He buried his head in his hands and let the emotions out: the pain, the anger, the fear.

John could see that his father had finally broken down. "I'm sorry Dad. I know that this is hurting you. I just don't want to have regrets when my time comes. I love you Dad. I want you to know that. You have been an incredible father. You have been a wonderful role model. You have demonstrated your strength over and over again in your Air Force and NASA careers, in building Tracy Enterprises, in forming International Rescue, in raising five hyper and sometimes trouble making sons. But at the same time, you have shown your love and compassion. As you made money hand-over-fist, you gave generously to many different philanthrophical ventures. You began International Rescue to help people that you don't even know without the thought of payment. And then there's us boys, we have always known that you loved us. Even after Mom died, we watched you grieve and knew that it stemmed from the deep love that you two shared. We knew that we shared in that love. Even when you had to discipline us, we knew that you were trying to make us into better people. I couldn't have asked for a better family. I love you all." By this time, the tears had begun to fall from John's eyes.

Jeff moved to the bed and carefully gathered his son in his arms. "I'm sorry John. I've been so scared. I was hoping that if I put on a brave face that I could force myself to believe that everything was OK. I guess in the back of my mind, I knew that I was only trying to fool myself. I thought I needed to keep hope alive for you and your brothers."

Just then Jeff's watch beeped. He let go of John and brushed the tears from his eyes. He keyed his watch. "Go ahead Scott."

"Dad, I…" Scott began but stopped when he saw Jeff's face. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Calm down Scott," Jeff said. "Nothing has happened. John and I have been having a heart to heart talk and things have gotten a little emotional that's all."

Scott nodded his head. "OK, I wanted to let you know that the rescue has been completed successfully. We are on our way back. E.T.A. to base is 2 hours 47 minutes."

"OK Scott, I'll see you when you get home." Jeff said. Turning back to John, he continued. "OK John, if you want me to bring Alan home, I will bring Alan home. However, by the time someone would get there now, it will be the middle of the night. Would it be ok, if I wait until first thing in the morning? I can have someone there at 8 am EST and then they can be back here by 8 am Island time.'

"OK Dad, we can do that." John said. He shifted in the bed and grimaced, but he continued speaking. "If this is my time to die, I want you to know that I don't blame you for any of this. I don't want you to blame yourself after I'm gone. I know you will. You blamed yourself for Mom's death even though there was nothing you could do to stop it. This situation was out of your control too. You couldn't have stop Franklin."

"I could have." Jeff interrupted. "I could have given him what he wanted."

"I wouldn't have let you." John said. "International Rescue is more than just a job to me. It has become my driving vision too."

"But how could I put the secrets of International Rescue over my own son's life?" Jeff asked addressing the question more to himself than to John.

"It wasn't just your decision." John argued. "We all understood and agreed that this was what had to be. I also know that I am in a better position than you."

"How so?" Jeff asked with confusion showing on his face.

"If I die…" John began.

"John…" Jeff interrupted.

John cut his father off. "I thought we were going to be honest and face the possibility." Jeff nodded his head and John continued. "If I die, my pain will be over, but yours will just be beginning. Promise me that you won't pull away from the boys. They will need your support and you will need theirs. Don't be afraid to show your emotions. Alan especially will need to know that it is OK to have natural human emotions. I know that you want to appear strong for us, but sometimes we need to see your human side. We need to know that as Tracys, it is not shameful to give into our emotions sometimes. This probably isn't making any sense to you and I'm sorry."

"No John," Jeff said. "You are making perfect sense. I'm the one who's sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't be honest with your feelings. I'll do better no matter what happens." He felt the tears building in his eyes. He pulled John into an emotional hug. White stars exploded behind John's eyes, and his face contorted in pain as Jeff held him tightly. "Dad… Please," he gasped. "Too tight…hurts."

"Oh God John, I'm sorry." Jeff said as he helped John settle back on to the bed.

John turned on his side and pulled himself into a protective ball. His eyes were shut tightly. He gulped as he tried to bring his breathing back under control.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to hurt you." Jeff rambled on contritely.

"I know you didn't." John said opening his eyes and looking at his dad. "You were just showing honest emotion. That's what I wanted you to do. Don't beat yourself up about it. One way or another, it will be over soon."

"John, you're looking a little flushed, and you felt a little warm when I held you. Are you… has the… I think I should take your temperature." Jeff said, desperate to change subjects.

"You don't have too," John told him. "I know that I have moved into the next phase. That's why I want a chance to talk to everybody. I don't know how long the fever stage will last and once the delirium sets in, I will have lost my chance."

"Humor me. Let me take your temperature. Then I'll go talk to Brains." Jeff said. "Maybe he can give you a fever reducer."

"Just have him check it first." John replied. "I don't want to risk another reaction."

Jeff nodded his head. "Neither do I." He said as he left the room.

* * *

Jeff entered the lab and found Brains looking through a microscope. He also noticed that he was alone. "Hello Brains, where's Tin-Tin? I thought she was helping you."

"There was n-n-n-she did what she could." Brains replied. "I sent her to get some r-r-s-s-to get away for a while. I have l-l-l-found that she has a natural ap-ap-ap-that sciences come easy for her. We should start tr-tr-tr-teaching her."

"But she has been training with Alan and Fermat." Jeff interrupted.

"Their training has been on the th-th-ships." Brains explained. "I'm t-t-meaning specialized training in ch-ch-ch-bi-bi-special sciences, maybe even medicine. She would make a great as-as-as-contribution to International Rescue with her abilities."

"You're probably right." Jeff said. "I'll think about it once this problem is resolved. How are the antidotes coming?"

Brains sighed. "Two have already f-f-destabilized. They won't work."

"And the other two?" Jeff asked.

"I'm sorry Mr. T-T-Jeff," Brains began. "The more I re-re-study this poison, the more I don't th-th-believe these will work either. I'm at a l-l-l-standstill at what to do."

"So, you're saying that John is going to die?" Jeff asked with sadness in his voice.

"I'm really sorry. I'm still tr-tr-attempting to find a sol-sol-answer." Brains answered with regret.

Jeff cleared his throat. "Well, I came down here to tell you that John has moved into the next phase. He has begun to run a fever. His temperature is up to 100.7. Is there anything that you can give him to help?"

"Yes, Mr. Tracy," Brains said. "I have a f-f-f-temperature reducer ready. I did some t-t-t-experiments to make sure that it would not pr-pr-pr-bring on an adverse reaction."

Jeff gave a small laugh. "Thanks Brains, he did mention that when I said I was coming to get you."

* * *

Jeff and Brains re-entered the sickroom. John still lay curled up on his side with his eyes closed.

"John? Are you awake?" Jeff said quietly, not wanting to wake him if he had fallen asleep.

"Yeah, just resting." John said as he opened his eyes and rolled over to lie on his back.

"OK John," Brains said as he moved to the side of the bed and began checking the IV. "I'm going to g-g-g-add a fever reducer to the IV."

"No reaction, right Brains?" John asked.

"No reactions sh-sh-sh-became apparent in the tests." Brains said. "But I can't say for s-s-s-one hundred percent. Do you not want the m-m-m-injection?"

"Go ahead Brains. I trust you." John said.

After adding the fever reducer, Brains asked. "How are you h-h-dealing with the pain?"

"I'm handling it." John replied.

"No, he's not." Jeff interrupted. "He was in a lot of pain when I hugged him earlier."

"OK, I can in-in-go higher on the Ibuprofen. That should also h-h-h-aid with the fever too." Brains said.

John nodded his head. "OK Brains, whatever you think will help."

While Brains re-adjusted the IV, Jeff said to his son. "You look beat. Why don't you try to rest?"

John looked at his dad. "OK, but only if you promise that you will wake me when the boys get back. I still want to talk to them."

"I promise." Jeff said. "Now close your eyes. I'll sit with you until you fall asleep." In a matter of minutes, John was asleep.

* * *

Author's note: Poor John, poor, poor, John. Just when you think that things couldn't get worse, well, anyways, we hope you all enjoyed this chapter. More emotional talks are coming up. Please review. We really do enjoy them. Honest. 


	9. Bad News

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 9 – BAD NEWS**

An hour and a half later, Jeff was in the kitchen getting a fresh cup of coffee when he heard Thunderbird 1 returning. The sun had set over the Island while he had been with John. He grabbed a second cup of coffee and headed for the lounge. When Scott stepped off the lift, Jeff was waiting for him.

"Coffee?" He asked holding out a mug for him.

"Thanks dad," Scott said taking the cup from him. "How's John?"

"You rushed home ahead of everybody else to ask me that?" Jeff asked with a small smile on his face, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.

"Well, I got concerned. It's not everyday that you tear up while having a 'heart-to-heart' talk." Scott said. "Are you sure that was all? Has Brains said anything more about the antidote?"

Jeff sighed. "Two of them have already failed, and the other two aren't looking promising either."

"What about John?" Scott said in a tortured whisper. "What are we going to do now?"

Jeff stared into his coffee cup. "John is…John…" He tried to swallow back his tears. "Scott, John is going to die. Brains doesn't know what else to try."

"Dad, isn't there something that we can do? I mean, we can't just sit back and let this happen." Scott said urgently.

"Dammit Scott, don't you think that I would do anything? There just isn't anything that can be done." Jeff said angrily. "Brains has been working non-stop to find an answer, but he hasn't come up with anything so far."

Scott could see Jeff shaking with emotion. "I'm sorry Dad. It's bad enough to know he is dying, but the fact that there's nothing we can do, it's just…So Franklin has won." He ran a hand through his hair. "Does John know?"

"I haven't told him about the problems with the antidotes, but I think he suspects." Jeff replied. "He told me that he has a 'feeling.' He also wants to talk to each of you guys."

Scott stared into his coffee cup. "I don't know if I can do that Dad."

"Do what Scott?" Jeff asked.

"Say goodbye." Scott replied. "That's what he really wants to do isn't it?"

Jeff nodded. "He asked me to bring Alan home. He doesn't want any regrets. He wants to have an opportunity to talk to each of you while he still has a chance. I promised him that I would wake him when you guys got back. Why don't you head down there and talk to him while I make a phone call."

"I don't know what to say to him." Scott admitted to his father.

"Neither did I, but you have to make the effort for your brother's sake." Jeff said.

Scott nodded. "OK Dad, I'll go see him." Then he left the room.

Jeff sat at his desk and keyed the vid-phone and waited for an answer.

Parker's face appeared on the screen. "Good mornin' Mr. Tracy. H'it's good to 'ear from you."

"Thank you Parker." Jeff said pasting a smile on his face. "I need to speak to Penny. Is she available?"

Parker hesitated for a moment. "H'I'm sorry sir. Mi' Lady h'is indisposed at the moment."

Jeff ran a hand over his face. "Parker, it's imperative that I talk to Penny right now. Could you please tell her that I am waiting?"

Parker could see the distress on Jeff's face. "Yes, Mr. Tracy h'I'm sure Mi' Lady will be 'ere as soon as possible." A "Please Hold" sign appeared on the screen.

About five minutes later, Penny's face appeared on the screen. She wore a dark pink dressing gown and her hair was wrapped in a light pink towel. "Jeff, dear, I am so sorry…" She stopped when she saw the look on Jeff's face. "Jeff, what's wrong?"

Clearing his throat, Jeff began speaking. "Penny, I need you to pick Alan up from school and bring him home. Bring Fermat too. Alan is going to need him." Jeff's voice began to break.

Lady Penelope knew that something was horribly wrong for Jeff to break down even a little. "Jeff, what has happened? Is it one of the boys? The media said that there was a rescue a few hours ago, but they did not say anything about injuries."

"No Penny, that rescue went fine." Jeff said gripping his hands in an effort to control his emotions. Finally he buried his head in his hands. "God Penny, this is so hard."

Lady Penelope's heart was breaking in sympathy. "Jeff please, tell me.'

Jeff pulled himself together and looked at Penny. "Three days ago, we went out on a rescue that turned out to be a trap." Jeff paused and took a deep breath. "John was poisoned."

Penny gasped. "Poisoned? Oh dear God. Jeff is he…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, but Jeff understood.

"No," Jeff replied, and then added in a quiet voice. "At least not yet."

"What do you mean Jeff?" She asked.

"The short version is a madman poisoned John in an effort to force me into giving up the secrets of International Rescue." Jeff began to explain. "It's a slow acting poison and Franklin told us that John would have between five to six days to live. It took Gordon and Brains two days to rescue us. Brains has been trying to develop an antidote, but nothing has worked and he is out of ideas." Jeff finally let the tears flow freely. "In two days, my son is going to die. I can't do this, Penny. It's too much. I can't lose my son, not like this."

"Oh Jeff, I am so sorry." Penny said. "Parker and I will leave within the hour we should reach Wharton about 8:20 am their time. We should then reach the Island shortly before 9 am your time."

"Thanks Penny, I'll let the school know to expect you. You may have to explain this to Alan. I'll call the 24-hour emergency line and explain that John is sick, but I can't give them the full story, and I don't know if I will have a chance to reach him in person before you get there." Jeff said as he wiped the tears from his eyes while bringing his emotions back under control. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "And Penny, I'm sorry for breaking down on you."

"I understand Jeff." Penny said. "You've been under tremendous strain and knowing you, you've insisted on being strong for your sons. Don't worry about Alan. I'll take care of him. I just wish that I could be there for you right now, but I will be there as soon as I can."

"Thanks Penny, I'll see you when you get here." Jeff said as he disconnected the call. He buried his head in his hands trying to pull himself together enough to place the call to Alan's school.

* * *

Scott entered the infirmary to find his brother lying on his side sleeping with a blanket pulled up over his head with just the top of his white blond hair sticking out. Scott gently pulled the blanket back to reveal his brother's face. Even though John was asleep, Scott could still see the pain etched on his face. Scott gently shook John's shoulder. "John? Hey John, wake up man." He was taken back a little by the warmth that John was radiating. 

John rolled onto his back with a groan. He slowly opened his eyes and focused on his brother. "Scott? You guys are back already? How long was I asleep?"

"Relax John," Scott said. "You've only been asleep for not quite two hours. I'm the only one home right now. I hurried home to check on you. How are you feeling?"

John thought for a moment. "Drowsy. I think maybe it's a side effect of the fever reducer."

"I thought you were a little warm, when did that start?" Scott asked.

"Dad didn't tell you?" John asked. "My temp started rising probably a couple hours after you guys left for the rescue. How'd that go by the way?"

"Actually, it was a fairly easy rescue, but wasn't dad here when I reported in?" Scott asked.

"Yeah he was." John answered. "But I also know how you down play how hard things were, especially if you don't want to worry dad."

"Am I that transparent?" Scott asked with a laugh.

John smiled. "Only to those of us who take the time to learn what makes you tick."

"So in other words, only to you." Scott replied.

John gave Scott a snort. "Don't sell the rest of our brothers short. They understand a lot more than you give them credit for."

"I know John." Scott broke in. "You're not the only one who is observant."

"You're going to need to be there for them." John began but Scott cut him off.

"John, don't talk like that." Scott commanded. "Brains will find an answer. He's never let us down before. He won't let us down now. We have to believe that. **You** have to believe that."

John looked at Scott in the eyes, and he spoke in a rarely used tone that commanded attention. "As much as I want to believe that Scott, we must be prepared for the worst. Burying our heads in the sand now will only make it worse later on."

"I don't know what to say." Scott admitted to his brother. "I don't know how to deal with all this. I feel so helpless, and I hate it.'

"I know that too, Scott." John said. "You definitely have a 'hands-on, be in control' personality. I'm sure it's part of being the oldest. But this time you don't have to talk. Let me say what I have to say and then if you have anything to say, you can talk.

"Okay John," Scott said resignedly. "Just don't make it too pessimistic. I'm still counting on Brains finding a solution."

John smiled. "You just can't stop giving orders, can you?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Scott began, but this time John cut him off.

"Don't apologize Scott," John said. "It's who you are. I wouldn't want you to change." John paused for a moment. "OK, back to my prepared speech. First off, I want you to know that I love you. Being 'guys' we don't say the words that often. We usually show it with our actions, but this time I want to say the words, to make sure that there is absolutely no doubt about how I feel. You've been a great big brother. You were always there for me when I needed you. One of my first memories is when I fell off the swing when I was four. I tore my pants and cut my knee open. It was bleeding and I was getting woozy at the sight of my own blood. But then there you were. I don't even know where you came from, but you were suddenly there. You helped me to the house and sat next to me while Mom cleaned and bandaged the cut. Then when I started school, my tendency to be a loner and my preference for books made me an easy target for bullies. It didn't take long though for the bullies to learn that if they messed with me, they had to answer to you. You saved me from a lot of pummelings."

John stopped for a moment and cleared his throat before continuing. "Then when Mom died, you held this family together."

Scott ducked his head in embarrassment. "I didn't do that much."

"Oh yes, you did." John continued. "You took charge when Dad was lost in his grief. You made sure that we went to school when we were supposed to. You made sure that we had food in the house. You were thrown into a 'father' role, and you handled it well. I don't think that we would be where we are today if you hadn't done such a good job."

"Don't put the halo only on my head." Scott interrupted. "You were just as much a part of pulling us through those dark days as I was. I may have handled the logistics of the situation, but you handled the emotional upheaval. I know that I would have never made it through if I didn't have you behind me. I never could handle emotional outbursts very well."

John gave out a quiet laugh. "Well, this time you're going to have to handle it without me."

"John, don't say stuff like that." Scott snapped. "You have to stay positive."

"And you have to be realistic." John snapped back.

John and Scott stared at each other in silence. They both began to speak at the same time.

"John…"

"Scott…"

They both stopped and looked at each other sheepishly. John gestured for Scott to continue.

"Look John, I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Scott said. "I just don't want to see you give up. As long as you're alive, there is hope. You have to believe that."

"Scott, I'm not giving up. I'm just trying to cover all my bases." John explained. "If I do survive, we can look back and laugh at what saps we're being. But if and I only mean 'if' I don't survive, I want to have said my piece."

"OK, I'm sorry." Scott said. "I didn't mean to belittle your need. Go ahead, say what you need to and I'll listen."

"Ok," John began again. "I've already talked to dad about this and now I'm going to tell you. The guys are going to look to you two for guidance. Don't hide your emotions from them. I know that neither of you like to show when you're upset. You feel that it undermines your 'professionalism.' But the boys need to know that it is OK to have human emotions. You're also going to need to take care of the boys if Dad can't, especially Alan. I know that Virgil and Gordon are both adults and active members of International Rescue. They have seen death before, but it is different when it's your own family. Their memories of Mom's death are seen through a child's eye. This is going to be so different. I don't know if they can handle it, and then there's Alan. He is just a kid even though he desperately wants to prove himself as an adult. He has no real memories of Mom or her death at all. This will be the first time that he will have to actually face the death of a family member. There's no telling how he will react. You need to be understanding. I know that he can be a pain-in-the-butt at times, but he's still young. He needs your guidance not your disapproval. He's got a lot of you in him."

"Me? No way." Scott broke in.

John gave him a condescending smile. "Who are you trying to kid? I remember what you were like when you were fifteen, the same stubborn demeanor, the same explosive temper, the same knack for getting in trouble even when you are trying to do something good, the same compassionate spirit hidden under a 'macho' front. Do I need to go on? Face it Scott. The reason you and Alan butt heads so much is because you are so much like each other."

"OK, OK." Scott said. "I'm not sure that I would have put it that way, but I guess you have a point. A small point, but still a point." The beeping of Scott's watch broke into their conversation.

Scott keyed his watch. "Scott here."

Their dad's voice greeted them. "I just wanted to let you know that Thunderbird 2 is about five minutes out."

"OK Dad, thanks for the intel." Scott replied.

"How are things going? How's John feeling?" Jeff asked.

John grabbed Scott's arm and turned his watch so he could speak into it. "I'm doing about the same. My temp is still rising, although slowly, even with the fever reducer."

"OK John," Jeff said. "I'll talk to Brains and see if there is anything else we can do about it." Jeff then closed the link.

Scott pulled his arm back and asked. "Well, it sounds like we're going to have company soon. Is there anything else that we need to cover?"

John thought for a moment. "No, I think that was it. Take care of everyone, don't shut out your emotions, and most importantly give Alan a break. Anything that you want to add?"

"Just that I love you too, John." Scott responded. "I'm sure going to miss you if…if…you know what I mean." Scott pulled John into a careful hug. "I couldn't have asked for a better brother. Thank you." Releasing John, he continued. "Hey, I'm going to head to the hanger. I'll help Virgil with the post-flight checks and send Gordon back here so that you can talk to him. OK?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks Scott, I appreciate that." John replied as Scott left the infirmary.

* * *

Author's note: From Convert: Hiding place, I need a new hiding place. (runs off mumbling.) 

From Grumpy: (addressing posse.) She's around here somewhere. I just know it.

Emotions, emotions, emotions. There just everywhere. We want to thank readers and our reviewers for taking time for our story. Just a little preview for those who have been waiting for Alan, he will appear in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed.


	10. Alan Is Notified

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 10 – ALAN IS NOTIFIED**

Scott found both Virgil and Gordon in Thunderbird 2's cockpit running the post-flight check. "Hey guys, how was the flight home?"

"Uneventful" Virgil replied while taking in Scott's serious face. "How's John?"

Scott let out a deep sigh. "He's moved into the next stage. His temperature is rising.'

"Can't Brains do something?" Gordon asked.

"He's already doing what he can." Scott replied. "He is giving John medicine to keep the symptoms at bay, and he's been working non-stop on an antidote."

"Is he any closer to an answer?" Gordon interrupted.

"No, not yet," Scott replied. "But he's not giving up. Gordon, I'll help Virgil finish the post-flight. Why don't you go down and keep John company."

Gordon hesitated for a moment. He could tell by Scott's demeanor that there was something else going on, and it scared him. He swallowed back his fears and handed Scott his data pad. "OK, I'll go clean up and then I'll go see him."

"Just don't take too long while cleaning up." Scott said. "John wants to see you."

Gordon nodded his head and left the room.

After Gordon left, Virgil turned toward his brother. "OK Scott, what is really going on?"

Scott ran a hand through his hair. "John wants to talk to each of us alone."

Virgil immediately realized the implication behind that statement. "Is it really that bad?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah it is. Half of the antidotes that Brains was working on have failed, and he isn't real confident in the other half. He told dad that he was out of ideas. He is still working on it, but he is coming up empty."

"What about Alan?" Virgil asked.

"Dad said that he was making arrangements to bring him home." Scott answered. "After we finish here I'm going to check on that. I'll probably be making that trip to Wharton to get him."

"Do you want some company?" Virgil asked.

Scott shook his head. "No, you need to stay and talk to John. I'll be fine. Let's get this done so I can get going."

"You're not going." A voice from behind them responded.

Scott and Virgil turned and found their father standing behind them. "But Dad, I thought…you said…Alan…" Scott stammered for a response.

"I've made arrangements for Penny to pick him up." Jeff said. "I thought it would be better if we stayed here to support John."

"OK Dad," Scott replied. "Anything new from Brains?"

"Unfortunately no." Jeff answered. "He's pushing himself really hard. I'm afraid that he's going to end up sick himself."

"It will be over soon." Scott said and then quietly added. "One way or another."

"Scott!" Virgil exclaimed with shock.

"Now Virgil," Jeff interceded. "Scott's right. One way or another, it will be over soon. We need to hope and pray that Brains will find the answer in time."

Virgil nodded his head. "How about Alan? When will he get home?"

Jeff glanced at his watch. "Probably some where between ten and twelve hours from now. It depends on if Parker picks up a tail wind."

"How'd he take this?" Scott asked

"I haven't actually talked to him." Jeff admitted. "Remember it's only about three in the morning there. Penny said that she would be there a little after 8 am their time. I figured that I should let the boys sleep through the night. They'd only worry for the next five hours until Penny gets there. I did talk to the nurse who was manning the 24-hour emergency line. I gave her the bare facts, that John was sick and I had a friend coming to pick him up and bring him home. She is supposed to go by their room at seven and tell them to be ready when Penny gets there. She will fill them in on the rest on the way home."

"He's going to be really hot that you waited a whole day before bringing him home." Scott said. "Do you think that Lady P. can handle him?"

"I know that Alan will be angry at me, but I don't think that he will take it out on Penny." Jeff replied.

"Don't be so sure about that." Virgil added.

"Penny can handle him." Jeff continued. "She can be tough when she needs to be, but she can also be compassionate and I think that's what Alan will need the most."

"I hope you're right." Scott said.

"Come on, let's get this check finished." Virgil said changing the subject. "I want a chance to freshen up and grab a cup of coffee before my turn to sit with John."

"Sounds like a good idea, the coffee, I mean." Replied Scott as he returned to doing the check.

* * *

Meanwhile Gordon sat next to John's bed watching his brother sleep. John moaned and shifted in the bed. John slowly opened his eyes and noticed Gordon sitting in the chair. "Hey Gords. How long have you been here?" 

"About twenty minutes." Gordon replied. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up, you need your sleep."

"That's OK," John said. "Dad should have told you to wake me. I wanted to talk to you."

"I didn't see dad." Gordon countered. "Scott told me to come down."

"That's right." John said wincing as he shifted again in the bed. "Scott was going to relieve you from the post-flight checks."

Gordon stared at his folded hands. "Scott said that you wanted to see me. What's up?"

"Yeah, I wanted a chance to talk to each of you alone just in case things…you know." John began but Gordon interrupted.

"There's no need, John, because that's not going to happen." Gordon began but stopped when he saw John roll his eyes. "What?"

"You're only the third person to tell me that when they found out what I want to talk about." John explained. "Now let me cut to the chase. No, I'm not giving up. I pray to God that Brains will find a cure, but I'm also being realistic. I could die, Gordon. It is a distinct possibility. I need to make my peace with each one of you guys. I don't want to risk losing my chance. So let me have my say please."

Gordon nodded his head, so John continued. "First off, I want to say that I love you. You're special to me. I guess maybe because you were the first 'little brother' that I remember being born. I wasn't quite two when Virgil was born so I don't remember it, but I was four and a half when you were born, so my memories are a little clearer. I remember dad panicking and it scared me until Scott told me that's how he acted when Virgil was born. I also remember thinking what a noisy thing you were when they brought you home. I was ready to send you back that first week, but mom told me to give you a chance. That you'd 'grow' on me, and you did. Man I can't imagine what this family would be like without you, my fun-loving, joke-playing little brother. It's your sense of humor that makes you an asset with the kids we rescue. You aren't afraid to get down on their level and they trust you because of that. Scott and Virgil could never do that. It isn't 'professional'. The only thing bigger than your sense of humor is your sense of compassion, your capacity to love."

Gordon broke in. "John, I…you…I love you too." He stopped as tears gathered in his eyes, and his voice choked with emotion.

John reached his hand out toward his brother. "Hey, I know that this is hurting you. I know that you feel things more than you let on. You try to be tough like Scott, but you don't have to be. You can let go." A small smile crossed John's face. "I wouldn't recommend you breaking down during a rescue, but afterwards you can let go. I just wish that I could be here to help you."

Gordon took his brother's hand. "I'm scared John…really scared." Heavy tears began to flow from his eyes and harsh sobs escaped his throat. "I don't think that I can do this. I can't lose another member of my family. It's too hard. I can't. I just can't." Finally the emotions were too much for him. Still clasping John's hand, Gordon laid his head on the bed next to his brother and cried as if his heart was breaking.

John used his free hand to stroke Gordon's hair. Through his own tears, he spoke quietly to his brother. "Let it out Gordon. Let it out. I wish I could make it better for you. I really do. I hate seeing you like this. I hate the pain that this is causing all of you."

John heard Gordon mumble something into the bed. "What was that, Gordon?"

Gordon raised his head and looked at John as the tears continued to fall. "I said that is just like you." He said in a ragged voice. "You're the one who was poisoned. You're sick and in pain. Yet here you are trying to make us feel better. I don't know how you do it."

"I care about you guys." John said. "You may not be in physical pain, but I know that you are in emotional pain. This situation is hurting everyone."

Gordon tried to respond, but he couldn't speak as the tears began to flow heavily again. John let his brother cry out his anguish while holding his hand in an attempt to give him silent comfort. It took over ten minutes for Gordon to finally get control of his emotions.

"I'm sorry for breaking down like that." Gordon said.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." John said. "Are you OK now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Gordon answered while wiping the tears from his eyes. "Just a little embarrassed though."

"Embarrassed? Why?" John asked.

Gordon ducked his head. "Because I broke down like that. I know that you understand, but what if someone else had come in?"

"Well, they didn't so don't worry about it." John told him. "Besides, I'm sure that if we could get Scott and Virgil to be totally honest, we would find out that they are just as upset and maybe they've shed a few tears of their own."

"Yeah, I know." Gordon said.

John caught the look on Gordon's face. "All right, you know something. Spill it."

"Nah, it's nothing, really." Gordon replied.

"Oh come on. I can read it on your face." John countered. "Does it have something to do with our brothers? Come on, I'm going to keep up until you tell me. You know that you will tell me eventually. Come on, make it easy on yourself."

"You're incorrigible, you know." Gordon said with a small smile. "But I can't tell you. I **won't** tell you."

John took in Gordon's face. "Let me guess. You saw one of them crying." John let out a small laugh at Gordon's shocked expression. "It wasn't hard to figure out considering our conversation. Which one was it? Scott or Virgil?"

Gordon ducked his head. "Virgil, but you can't say anything. He doesn't know that I heard him."

"When was this?" John asked.

"Just after the drug reaction." Gordon explained. "Virg was sitting with you. I was bringing him coffee when I heard him break down. I didn't want to embarrass him so I left."

John smiled. "See what I mean about your compassion. You're a good man Gordon Tracy."

Gordon's face flushed with the praise. "Thanks John."

"Your welcome." John said. "Now there are a couple of things that I want you to do for me if…well you know."

Gordon nodded his head. "Anything that you want.'

"Well," John began. "I've been telling everybody to be there emotionally for the others, but I want you too especially to be there for Alan. He's going to try to act tough and hide his pain. I think if anyone can get him to open up, it will be you since you are the closest in age. It's going to be hard for him. He's still a kid even though he tries hard to prove that he isn't."

"I understand John." Gordon said. "I'll do what I can."

"The other thing is," John continued. "I don't want you to lose your sense of humor. You've always been able to make me laugh even though there were also times that I wanted to strangle you. Your jokes are a stress reliever and you guys are going to need that. I know that I said it before, but your sense of humor is such a big part of your personality. I don't want this to change you. Promise me you won't let it."

"OK John," Gordon replied. "I promise."

"Thank you Gordon." John said. "And if you break that promise, I will come back and haunt you. Understand?" John began to laugh softly.

Gordon began to laugh also and held his hands up in mock surrender. "I give, I give." Gordon sobered. "John…you've meant a lot to me. You've been my confidant, my anchor. I love you. I want you to know that."

"I know Gordy." John replied. Then in a quieter tone, he added. "I've always known."

* * *

**Wharton Academy**

It was a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. when Alan stepped out of the shower. He mentally went over his day. A quick breakfast in the cafeteria and then off to his first class at 8:30. His first two classes should be fairly easy. Geometry and Earth Sciences. Both are subjects that he had already done extensive study during his training for International Rescue. His third class, however, was Ancient World History and there was an exam scheduled for today.

A knock on the outer door broke into his thinking. Fermat was in the room. He could answer the door. Alan started to get dressed as he went back to his mental schedule. After lunch he had a study period. He needed to go to the school library. He had a paper due in Grammar and Composition next week. His mental schedule was interrupted again, this time by a knock on the bathroom door.

Fermat's voice came through the door. "Alan? Can you hurry up? Nurse Jasper is here to see you."

"Nurse Jasper?" Alan thought. "I'll be out in a minute, Fermat." Alan called through the door. When Alan left the bathroom he saw Nurse Jasper standing just inside the door with a sympathetic yet uncomfortable look on her face.

The nurse began speaking. "Alan, your father called the emergency line early this morning."

Alan snapped to attention at the word "emergency." "What's wrong? What's happened?' He asked urgently.

The nurse continued speaking in a comforting tone. "Apparently, one of your brothers is seriously ill. Your father wants you to come home. He has sent a family friend, a Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, to pick you and Fermat up. She should be here shortly after 8. You have about an hour to get ready. If there is anything that I can do, let me know."

Alan's mind was running a mile a minute. If his father was calling him home, it had to be bad. "Nurse Jasper?" He questioned. "Did my dad say which brother was sick?"

"I believe he said it was your brother John." The nurse replied as she left the room.

Alan made sure that the door was completely closed. Turning toward Fermat, he said. "Well, that's a relief."

Fermat looked confused. "What? Don't you want to c-c-talk to your dad and find out what's g-g-g-happening?"

"Nah," Alan began to explain. "He knows the time difference. If he could talk he would've called me himself. We'll find out what's going on when Lady P gets here."

Fermat was still confused. "What do you mean 'w-w-what's going on'? The nurse told you. J-J-J-your brother is sick."

Alan rolled his eyes. "Think Fermat. That was some kind of code. Dad wants me home for some reason. Maybe he's decided to let me be home schooled, or maybe there's something up with International Rescue that they need me for. Anyways, he had to give the school a reason so he told them John was sick. He said, John, because he knew that I would realize that John is still on Thunderbird 5. He's not scheduled to be relieved until the first of the month. See 'code'."

"But Alan," Fermat argued. "John could have become i-i-sick on Thunderbird 5 and your d-d-d-father would have brought him home early."

"Don't forget though according to the radio this morning, the Thunderbirds went on that rescue last night." Alan began to rationalize. "So, if John had to be brought home, it would've been earlier in the day. Dad would've called me yesterday to let me know."

"I still th-th-believe that you should call home to see what's going on." Fermat argued. "When was the last time you c-c-c-talked to anybody at home?"

Alan thought for a moment. "It was Saturday. So that was what? Five days ago? Everything was fine then."

"Was John still on Thunderbird 5?" Fermat asked.

"I didn't ask and dad didn't say." Alan answered. "How about you? When was the last time you talked to your dad?"

"It was Sunday m-m-m-early." Fermat said.

"I've tried to c-c-reach him the last two ev-ev-nights, but I haven't reached him. I'm still w-w-w-concerned that something is wr-wr-not right."

"You worry too much Fermat." Alan said. "I know my family. Trust me. There is nothing to be concerned about. Let's get packed. It'll be nice to be home again."

Fermat shook his head as he watched as Alan began to pack a small bag. He knew in the pit of his stomach that Alan was setting himself up for a fall. Fermat grabbed his own bag and began packing. It only took a few minutes. The difference in climates required two different wardrobes. So they only had to pack the personal belongings that they wanted.

At 8:05, Alan and Fermat sat on the front steps of their dorm. They talked about trivial things and fielded questions from other students who were on their way to class.

At 8:26, Fermat saw the pink Rolls Royce coming up the street. The knot tightened in his stomach. In another minute, they would find out whose gut instincts were correct.

Alan jumped up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Come on Fermat. Let's go home."

When the car stopped, Parker stepped out and opened the door for Lady Penelope. It did not escape Fermat's attention that something seemed off about Parker.

Alan however seemed oblivious to Parker's demeanor. He bounded over to the car as Parker was helping Lady Penelope out of the car. "Lady P., it's really good…" Alan stopped when he saw the look on Penelope's face. Even though her face showed the rigid air of nobility, Alan saw the sadness and compassion shining in her eyes.

"No." The word escaped Alan's mouth in a tortured whisper. He began to back up away from the car.

"Alan, darling, we need to go." Penelope began. She was confused by Alan's reaction. She glanced at Parker. She was under the impression that Jeff was going to call the school and explain the situation.

Alan followed Penelope's glance toward Parker. He could see that Parker's eyes were red and puffy. His face was stained with tear tracks down his cheeks.

Alan continued to back away. "This isn't happening. It can't be." He felt tears building behind his own eyes, but he refused to give in to them.

Parker began to slowly advance on Alan while Penelope tried to talk to him quietly. "Alan, please we must go."

Alan's left foot collided with the step behind him. With his backward momentum, he found himself falling and landing hard on his butt on the steps leading to his dorm. He whispered. "It's not John. He's not sick. He's not home."

Penelope looked at Parker. "Parker please help Alan into the car."

Parker moved to Alan and took him by the arm. "Come now, Master Tracy, up we go. We need to get you 'ome."

Alan looked at Parker with glazed eyes but offered no resistance as Parker led him to the car.

Penelope turned to Fermat. "Did not anyone explain what was happening?"

Fermat nodded his head. "Nurse Jasper came by this morning and t-t-t-explained it to us. Unfortunately, Alan b-b-b-convinced himself that it was an excuse to get him h-h-h-out of school. Especially since John is supposed to still be up on F-F-not at home. Did he get s-s-s-ill up there? How b-b-ill is he?"

Penelope laid a hand on Fermat's shoulder. "Let's discuss this in the car."

Parker had gotten Alan in the car by this time. Penelope and Fermat climbed into FAB1. Alan just stared out the window as they headed toward the Island. Penelope explained what little she knew, but Alan never responded to her. She gave Fermat a questioning look, but he just shrugged his shoulders. They spent the rest of the flight to the Island in silence.

* * *

Author's note: Grumpy and her posse think they are closing in, but Convert has a few allies coming to her rescue. 

Boy, oh boy, when Alan gets home… Another "talk" down, two more to go. Please review. We are loving them.


	11. Alan Returns Home

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 11 – ALAN RETURNS HOME**

Virgil stood outside the infirmary. He knew that he had to go in there. He had to do it for John, but he was afraid. He had already broken down once, and he was afraid to do it again. Reluctantly he entered the room. He found his brother reclining in the bed staring at his laptop. "Hi John, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm trying to help Brains with some research." John answered.

"Find anything?" Virgil asked.

John closed the laptop. "No. I'm sure that there's an answer out there. I'm just not sure where to look."

Virgil looked around the infirmary. "Where's Gordy?" He asked.

"I sent him to get me something to eat." John replied. "I'm not really hungry though. It was an excuse to get him out of here, and I think he knew it. He looked pretty beat. I just felt that he needed some time to gather himself together. How was the rescue?"

"It went OK. Gordy had the hardest part. He was the one who went down in the rescue platform. There was a pretty strong wind that he had to battle. But how about you? Is there anything that I can do for you?" Virgil inquired.

"Just sit and talk with me for awhile." John told him.

"Yeah, Dad said that you wanted to talk to each of us." Virgil began. He paused a moment and took a deep breath. "I'm just not sure that I can handle it." Virgil turned his head away from his brother. He didn't want John to see the emotional upheaval he was battling.

"Thank you." Was John's reply.

"What?" Virgil said thoroughly confused.

"Thank you." John repeated. "You're the only one so far that didn't try to talk me out of my 'talk' by telling me that everything was going to work out. I appreciate that."

"Yeah, well you know the odds and if you feel like you need to…well you know." Virgil stumbled for the words he wanted.

"I understand Virg." John said as he reached over and took Virgil's hand. "It's part of your nature. That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about. I need you to be the 'peacemaker' of the family if the worst should happen."

"Huh?" Virgil was confused again.

"You know. When Scott's ready to kill Gordon over a prank, or when dad and Alan are butting heads over the Thunderbirds." John explained. "You're the only one who has the personality for it. Scott's too much like dad. They're too hot-headed to handle tense family situations. Gordon would try to turn everything into a joke which won't solve anything. And Alan, well he's too young and besides he's got the Tracy 'bull-headedness' too. I want you to promise me that you will try to defuse the arguments when they arise and believe me, they **will** arise."

Virgil gripped John's hand in support. "I won't be as good as you. I don't know how you do it. You always seemed to know the right things to say."

John laughed softly. "It's just practice, Virgil. After all, I've had over twenty years of practice. You can do it, Virg. I know that you can. For me, will you try? Please?"

"Of course, I will John." Virgil Replied. "I'll do my best. I just hope I don't let you down."

"You'll be fine." John told him. "I have every confidence in you. I love you Virg. I want you to know that. It's important to me."

"I know that John." Virgil replied. "I hope you know that I love you too. You are very important to me. I don't know what I or any of us will do if you die." This time he couldn't stop a few tears from escaping. He tried to brush them away before John could see, but he wasn't quick enough.

John reached up and brushed some of the tears away. "Aww Virg, you don't have to hide them from me. I know that this is hard for everybody."

His brother's tender words broke through the emotional wall that Virgil had tried to build. His tears began to fall in earnest. "I'm sorry John. I didn't want to break down in front of you. I didn't want to make things worse for you."

"It's OK Virg." John told him. "Come on tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

Virgil shook his head. "God John, I don't know how you do it. As sick as you are, you're trying to make me feel better. I should be trying to make you feel better."

"This is making me feel better." John argued. "It takes my mind off of 'other things'. So come on spill it. Tell me how you're feeling."

"Feeling? How am I feeling?" Virgil asked in amazement. "The question should be how am I not feeling. First off, I'm angry. I'm angry at Franklin for doing this. I'm angry at dad for not spotting the trap. I'm angry at Scott and myself for not doing something to stop Franklin. I'm also scared. I'm scared that you're going to die. I'm scared of what will happen to this family if that does happen. I'm frustrated. I see you in all this pain, and I know that there is nothing that I can do to help you. I mean my specialty is technology, not biology. Then I feel guilty." Virgil's voice dropped off at the last statement.

"Guilty?" John questioned. "Why? Because this is happening to me and not you?"

"Partly" Virgil replied.

"Only partly? What else?" John asked.

Virgil sat back and looked away from John. Anguish was written all over his face. "I can't." He whispered.

"Can't what?" John pressed. "Come on. Something is eating you up. Please tell me what it is."

Virgil ran a hand over his face. "Do you really want to know what a sick, selfish bastard your brother is?" He asked.

John gave Virgil a confused look. "What are you talking about Virg?"

Virgil took a deep breath and began to explain. "There's a part of me that's glad that this is happening to you." Taking in John's shocked expression, he continued quickly. "Not you in particular. I just mean that I'm glad that it's happening to someone other than me. I would feel the same way if this was happening to Scott or Gordon. I've watched what you've had to endure these last few days, and I couldn't have done it. I would have gone crazy. What kind of selfish jerk does that make me? My brother is dying and I'm glad it's not me."

John gingerly moved to where he was sitting in an upright position. "Virg, come here and sit next to me." Reluctantly Virgil complied. John carefully wrapped his arms around his brother. "Your feelings do not make you selfish." He quietly told Virgil. "They make you human. I would be feeling the same way if our positions were reversed."

Virgil returned his brother's embrace. He buried his face in John's shoulder and let the tears fall. In a choked voice, he said. "Oh God, John, I am so sorry."

"Ssh Virgil," John responded. "There is nothing for you to be sorry for." He grimaced as Virgil's embrace tightened painfully around him, but he didn't say anything. He just held his brother consciously aware of the fact that this could possibly be the last time that he could hold his brother.

"I love you John." Virgil said in an emotion-filled voice.

"I love you too Virgil." John replied.

**AT THE LANDING STRIP**

Jeff was waiting as FAB1 landed on the Island. He had talked to Penny for a short time after she had picked Alan up. According to her, Alan had not spoken a word since they left the school. He had asked to speak to Alan, but apparently he ignored Penny when she relayed the request. He hoped that now that Alan was back on the Island, he could convince him to at least speak to John. That was the most important thing right now. Jeff approached his youngest son. "Alan, I'm glad that you're here."

Alan immediately cut him off. "Save it Dad. I know better." He said sarcastically.

"I know this is hard for you, but you watch your tone young man." Jeff said sternly.

"Or what? You'll ground me?" Alan demanded. "Oh I know. You'll send me away to boarding school so I'll be separated from my family. I won't even know when my brothers are on the planet let alone if they're sick or not. Wait a minute, you've already done that. Answer me this Dad. If John hadn't asked to see me, would you have even told me that he was sick, let alone bring me home?"

Penny looked at Fermat. They had assumed that Alan had ignored their conversation, but apparently he had heard every word, from the false rescue call, to the poisoning, to John being allegric to the antidote, to John wanting to talk to all his brothers. Fermat meet Penny's gaze. He shrugged but didn't say anything.

"I had every intention of bringing you home." Jeff replied indignantly. "I was just giving Brains some time to see if he could come up with an antidote. I didn't want to worry you needlessly."

"No Dad, I should have been told immediately." Alan argued. "You should have called me as soon as you were back in the Thunderbirds. As it was, you still weren't the one who told me. A school nurse did. Can you imagine how that made me feel? At first I didn't believe it. I guess that I figured that if things were that bad at home, a family member would call me. Boy, was I wrong on that assumption." Quietly he added. "How could you do that to me?"

"I'm sorry Alan." Jeff said trying to calm his young son down. "You're right. I should have called you myself right away. I'm not handling this whole situation very well. I've been so worried about John that I put aside the needs of the rest of you. Scott even tried to tell me but I ignored him. Can you forgive me?"

Alan stared at his dad. He didn't know what to say. His dad very rarely admitted that he was wrong, and he had never apologized to Alan before. He was still angry, but he was also stunned. "I'm going to see John." He said simply as he headed toward the villa.

Jeff ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. He felt Penny's hand rest lightly on his forearm. Quietly he said. "I messed up this time. He has every right to be angry with me."

"I don't think that he is really angry." Penny said. "I think that he is scared. It's just easier for him to show it as anger than to admit even to himself how scared he is."

"I don't know Penny.' Jeff replied. "He sounded pretty angry with me."

"Yes he did." Penny countered. "But don't forget that I saw his face when he realized this was all true. He was scared, so scared that he kind of shut down emotionally for a while. I'm sure that eventually he will realize that you were just doing what you thought was best."

Jeff placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a small hug. Quietly he said. "I hope you're right, Penny. Dear God, I hope you're right."

* * *

Alan stepped into the infirmary and found Gordon sitting next to a sleeping John. "Hey Gordon, how is he?"

Gordon jumped slightly at the sound of Alan's voice. "Alan, I didn't know you were home."

"Yeah, I just got here." Alan replied. "I came straight here to check on John, so?"

Gordon sighed. "He's getting worse. His fever continues to rise, even though he's getting the maximum medication to combat it. Brains is even reverting back to some old-fashioned fever reducing techniques. He gave John an alcohol rub-down about twenty minutes ago. It brought his temperature down by a degree or so, but it's working its way back up."

"There's got to be something more that can be done." Alan argued.

Gordon shook his head. "Just pray for a miracle." Standing up, Gordon continued. "Look, I'm going to go. I know that John wanted to talk to you alone."

"You don't have to leave just yet." Alan replied. "John's sleeping and I don't want to disturb him. He can use all the rest he can get."

"Oh no," Gordon countered. "John said that he wanted to be woken up when you got home. It was the only way that we could get him to rest. Please do it. It's what John wanted."

"Ok, if that's what he wants." Alan said as Gordon left the infirmary.

Alan sat in the chair that Gordon had vacated. He looked at his sleeping brother. "This can't be happening." He thought. "This has to be a bad dream. I just wish that I could wake up from it."

Alan was drawn from his thoughts when he heard John shift in the bed and a small groan escaped his lips even in his sleep. Placing a hand on John's shoulder, he could feel the heat radiating from his brother. Alan gently shook his brother to wake him up. "John, can you hear me? Come on, bro, it's time to wake up."

John slowly opened his eyes and it took a few minutes for him to focus in on Alan's face. "Alan, you're home." John said. "I'm glad you've made it."

"Hey, you didn't have to go through all this trouble just to see me. All you had to do was ask." Alan told him trying to lighten the mood.

John smiled at Alan. "Well, you know me. Always doing things the hard way."

Alan laughed slightly. "Yeah sure. You're talking to the 'king of the hard way'. I hope it was OK to wake you. Gordon said that you wanted me to."

"Yeah, I wanted to have a chance to talk to you." John said. "I don't know how much longer I have."

Alan interrupted him. "Don't talk like that. You're not going to die. You **have** to believe that."

"No, I **want** to believe that." John told him. "But I also **have** to be realistic. Wanting something to happen isn't going to make it happen. Brains has been trying to find an antidote, but so far he's come up empty, and time is running out. That's the reality of it."

"John, I…ugh…you…" Alan fumbled for words.

"Alan, just listen to me." John broke in. "Let me have my say, please. First off and most importantly, I want to tell you that I love you."

"John, I…" Alan began.

"Please Alan." John cut him off. "Don't interrupt me. I love you. Please always remember that. I know that this is going to be hard for you. I know that you don't have memories of Mom's death so this is really the first time you've had to face a family member's death. You don't have to do this alone. The rest will be going through it too. Go to them. Lean on them. There is no shame in having feelings. Don't bury them. It isn't healthy."

"John, stop." Alan demanded with anger in his voice. He leaned forward and rested his hands on the bed. He stared into John's face. "Just stop talking like that. I don't want to hear any more about you dying." He pounded the bed for emphasis. "It's not going to happen. Do you hear me?" He went to pound the bed again, but this time he misjudged the downward arc of his arm and he caught John's side just above the hip.

John yelped in pain and rolled away from Alan. His eyes were shut tight and he couldn't stop the whimpers that escaped his lips.

All the anger in Alan dissipated in an instance. "Oh my God, John, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry."

John concentrated on his breathing and brought the pain level back to a bearable level. "Alan…it's OK…"

Alan cut him off. It was killing him to see John in pain, knowing that he was responsible. "No, it's not OK. I wasn't thinking, again. I just reacted. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please." Alan ran out of the infirmary before John had a chance to respond.

* * *

Author's note: Poor Virgil, carrying that guilt around with him. Did you see the fireworks? Alan really let Jeff have it. Poor Alan, he just can't accept what is happening. 


	12. Anger

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 12 – ANGER**

Alan sat on the beach and stared out over the water. He heard the swish of the sand as someone approached behind him. His instincts told him that it was Tin-Tin. "Go away Tin-Tin." He said.

"I'm worried about you Alan." Tin-Tin said in a quiet voice. "Are you OK?"

Alan looked at Tin-Tin like she had lost her mind. "Am I OK? AM…I…OK?" He said, his voice rising in anger. "How the hell, am I supposed to be OK? One of my brothers has been poisoned and the rest of my family acts like he's already dead. Why can't they realize that as long as he's alive that we have hope?"

Tin-Tin sat down next to Alan. "I'm sure that they just want to protect you. They don't want to give you false hope."

"I don't think it's 'false hope'." Alan argued. "I know that Brains will find an answer. He has to."

"And you don't think that your family thought that when all this started." Tin-Tin tried to explain reasonably. "They've had each of their hopes taken from them, one by one."

"And that's another thing." Alan said, his rant veering off in another direction. "Why did dad wait to call me? Why didn't Gordon and Brains come get me? I could've helped with the rescue. Hell, I've been asking dad to let me be home schooled so I could be here to help, but **no**, he says I have to go away to school. Then he has the audacity to wait to call me home. John only has between a day to a day and a half to live. Dad stole that extra time from me."

Tin-Tin looked Alan in the face and asked quietly. "Then **why** are you out here on the beach instead of spending what little time you have left with John?"

Alan jumped to his feet and stared at Tin-Tin with fire flashing in his eyes. "Shut up Tin-Tin. Just shut the hell up. You could never understand what I'm going through. It's not your brother who's dying." Alan spun on his heel and started running down the beach.

Tin-Tin watched as Alan moved away from her. A part of her wanted to go after him, but another part was so hurt by his words that she knew that she couldn't face him. As she stood up she brushed the tears from her eyes. Even though they weren't related by blood, she had lived with the Tracys long enough that she considered them just like family. She couldn't believe that Alan had spoken to her like that. She turned and headed into the jungle to clear her head.

Tin-Tin wandered through the jungle. Ever since the time that she, Alan and Fermat had to traverse the jungle when the Hood had tried to take over the Island and the Thunderbirds, her father had been bringing her to the jungle at least once a week. He taught her the dangers that she may face and how to possibly avoid them. He also taught her about the animal and plant life that grew in the jungle. Over the past year she had come to find peace and solace in the jungle. She drew in the serenity as she walked, listening to the animals as they burrowed through the lush underbrush, and to the birds flying among the trees. She inhaled the sweet aroma of the tropical flowers that dotted her path. She drank in the beauty that their colors blended together. She stopped to smell a beautiful purple orchid. Suddenly one of her father's botany lessons began to replay in her head. In that particular lesson he explained some of the medicinal values of orchids. An idea began to form in her mind. She knelt down and began to dig up the plant. She carried it back to the villa being careful not to damage the roots.

* * *

When Tin-Tin entered the lab, she found Brains buried in a pile of books. He was softly mumbling to himself.

"Brains, I think I have something." Tin-Tin said. She had to repeat it again to break into his concentration.

"Oh Tin-Tin" He said startled. "I didn't hear you c-c-c-enter. You th-th-believe that you have something? What?"

Tin-Tin began to explain to him the things that her father had taught her.

Brains looked thoughtful. "You may have a p-p-p-something. I'll need to…"

The inter-comm. broke into the conversation. "Brains I need you in the infirmary **NOW**." Jeff's voice boomed from the speaker. Tin-Tin and Brains could hear what sounded like a struggle going on in the background.

"Let me go!" John's voice demanded.

"John, stop this. It's only us." Scott commanded, but his voice held a twinge of fear.

"Ow…he bit me!" Gordon exclaimed.

"Dad we need your help." Scott called out.

Brains hit the inter-comm. Button. "I'm on my w-w-w-coming right now." He said. Turning back to Tin-Tin, he continued. "Could you h-h-h-get your father to come h-h-h-to the lab. I will need to sp-sp-talk to him. Maybe to-to-to-all of us can find a c-c-c-answer. I will be back as soon as p-p-p-as I can."

Tin-Tin nodded her head. "We'll be here."

* * *

An hour and twenty minutes after leaving Tin-Tin on the beach, Alan walked into the infirmary to find it in chaos.

Virgil was sitting on the second bio-bed with Gordon carefully probing a quickly darkening bruise around his left eye. "I can't believe he kneed me in the face." He said, wincing as Gordon continued examining his eye.

Gordon glanced over his shoulder. "John doesn't know what he is doing right now."

Alan followed Gordon's gaze to John's bed. John was struggling as if his life depended on it. "Let me go…FIRE…I have to get out of here…Why are you here? Do you want to die?" He said trying to force his way off the bed.

Scott was basically lying over John's legs, pinning them to the bed. Jeff was forcing John's shoulders against the bed. John bucked trying to dislodge his captors. Brains was trying to fit a restraint around John's flailing wrist.

"Are you sure this is **really** necessary?" Jeff demanded of Brains. "Couldn't you sedate him or something?"

Of course, it's n-n-n-required." Brains said. "A sedative on top of all the other dr-dr-dr-medications and the fever could be d-d-unwise."

"Just hurry up and do it." Scott grunted. "I don't know how much longer I can hold him."

Suddenly Gordon was at Brains' side. "Let me help you." He said as he held John's arm so that Brains could put the restraint on.

John screamed in outrage. "No, no,no. You have to let me go. Help! Anybody, help me!" Suddenly his fighting stopped. He stared at an empty space near the door. "Mom? Mom, is that you? Please, you have to help me. Mom? No, no don't go. Please Mom, help. I need you. Mom? Mom!" John began struggling again harder than ever.

Finally Brains had the restraints on and the three Tracys stepped back while Brains re-established the IV line that had been pulled out during the struggle.

Jeff ran a hand through his hair and let out a tired sigh. "How's Virgil?" He asked Gordon.

"Well, Brains should check him over just to be sure," Gordon explained. "But I didn't detect any broken bones, although he's going to have one beaut of a black eye." He gave his dad a sideways glance, and in a quiet voice, he asked. "What do you think about John calling for mom?"

"I think that he has entered the stage of delirium and hallucinations." Jeff answered.

"Yeah, but it would be nice to believe that she is here watching over us." Gordon replied.

Jeff laid a hand on Gordon's shoulder. "She is, Gordon. She is, but it's just not what John saw. That was a hallucination."

Jeff looked around the room. John continued to struggle against the restraints as he yelled and pleaded for help. Brains was examining Virgil's eye. Then Jeff's gaze landed on a stunned Alan, who was still standing just inside the door.

"Alan, how long have you been here?" Jeff asked.

Alan ignored his dad's question and asked one of his own. "What happened?"

Jeff gently put a hand on Alan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but he's moved into the next phase of this 'illness'."

Alan tried to gulp back his emotions. "He was calling for mom. He talked like he could see her."

Jeff sighed. "I know son. Your brother's fever is very high and he has started to hallucinate."

"But I need to talk to him." Alan said.

"You can try, but I really don't think he will understand you. I'm sorry." Jeff replied.

Alan approached his brother's bed. John had stopped struggling for the time being. He had his eyes closed, but he was breathing heavily. Alan gently brushed a sweat-soaked lock of John's hair from his face. Alan quietly spoke to his brother. "John? Can you hear me? It's Alan."

John slowly opened his eyes. "Alan?" He asked with confusion.

"Yeah John, it's me." Alan replied, relieved that John seemed to recognize him. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about earlier. I was acting like a real jerk. I want you to know that I love you. It's important that you know that. I also want you to know that I'm not giving up and I won't let you either. As long as you're alive there is hope. You just have to remember that."

"Alan, what are you doing here?" John asked. "Did you come to help me?" He started to pull against the restraints again. "You have to untie me. We have to get out of here. It is so hot. He wants to break me, but I won't let him. We have to hurry. I don't know when he will come back. Come on Alan, help me."

Alan's spirit deflated. Obviously John did not comprehend what he had said. He sighed and continued in what he hoped was a soothing tone. "I can't do that John. You're sick. You need to stay here so that Brains can take care of you."

John struggled more. "No, I have to get out of here. Help me, please."

Alan tried to comfort his brother. He pushed back the hair that had fallen on to John's face. Quietly he spoke. "John, please, don't struggle. You're going to hurt yourself. Trust me. No one here wants to hurt you."

John stopped struggling for a moment. He turned a quiet angry stare on Alan. Alan could see the fire burning in John's eyes.

"No, don't touch me." John said in a low and menacing tone. "I don't believe you. It's a trick. You're **not** Alan. You're **not** my brother. My brother would help me." John began to struggle again. "Get out! Leave me alone! You can't trick me! I won't tell you anything! Let me go! Damn you!"

Alan stood in stunned silence. John continued to struggle. He continued to curse and berate his brother. Alan felt a hand grip his shoulder.

"Don't take it personally." His dad said. "He doesn't mean any of this. It's the delirium."

Alan looked at his dad. Jeff could see the confusion and pain written on his face. Jeff saw as that look fell away and was replaced by anger. Without a word to his father, Alan turned and left the infirmary.

Virgil also saw the look of anger on Alan's face as he walked by. "Alan?" He started to follow his brother, but his dad stopped him.

"Let him go.' Jeff said. "I'll go talk to him in a while. Right now, I think he needs some time alone to sort his feelings out." Virgil gave his dad a sharp nod. Jeff continued. "How are you, Virgil? How's the eye?"

"It's fine." Virgil said. "Brains checked it out. No permanent damage done."

"Good. That's good." Jeff said. Then he turned to address Scott and Gordon also. "I know that we've been taking four hour shifts sitting with John, but I think we should cut it down to two hour shifts. Now that he's delirious the emotional stress on us will increase. I don't want anyone feeling overwhelmed. If you feel the need to be relieved early, just call me. As important as it is to take care of John, it is just as important to take care of the rest of you too."

"I'll take the first shift Dad." Scott volunteered.

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked. "Because I can."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Scott replied. "You guys go and get some rest."

"OK, Scott." Jeff said. "I'll relieve you in two hours. Call if you need anything." With that Jeff, Virgil and Gordon left the infirmary.

* * *

When Alan left the infirmary, he was consumed by anger. He felt like he was going to explode. As he walked down the hallway, he ran into Fermat who was heading to his dad's lab.

"Alan, h-h-what's going on?" Fermat asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Alan said as he stormed by.

Fermat could sense the intense anger in Alan. He didn't know or understand why Alan was so upset, but he knew it wasn't good. He knew from experience that when Alan got this upset he tended to do stupid things. Fermat debated about searching out one of the other Tracys to confide his concerns about Alan to, but he decided to give Alan a little time. If Alan didn't reappear shortly then he would talk to someone. Fermat headed into his dad's lab to see if there was anything that he could do.

Alan found himself in John's room. He wasn't sure how he got there. He didn't consciously plan on going to John's room, but that's where he ended up. He looked around the room, and his anger grew. He didn't understand his anger at John. It wasn't like John had planned this. John was the victim. Even though Alan's rational mind knew this, his emotions refused to grasp the reality of the situation. Standing in John's room, Alan's anger finally exploded. With one quick swipe of his arm, he knocked everything off of John's neatly organized desk.

"No," Alan screamed as he picked up a book off the bookshelf and threw it across the room. "You can't die. You can't leave me." Alan continued to throw books around the room. One book knocked a lamp off the bedside table which shattered as it hit the floor. He yelled and screamed unintelligibly as he threw the books. When he emptied the bookshelf, he moved around the room throwing anything that he could get his hands on. He circled the room until he was in front of a wall where John had hung various pictures of the family. Alan spotted one picture that was just him and John.

Alan remembered the day it was taken. He was twelve. He and Gordon had just returned from school for the summer break. Gordon was psyched. He was now sixteen and was going to begin his official training for International Rescue. It was all that Gordon and Scott talked about on the flight home. Alan had tried once to join the conversation, but Scott blew him off. He told Alan to wait until he grew up and to enjoy his childhood. By the time they had reached the Island, Alan was depressed and sulking about being the only one left out of International Rescue. John seemed to understand Alan's feelings without being told, so he invited Alan to go fishing with him. Alan was skeptical at first. He couldn't remember a time that just the two of them did something together, but he had gone and had a blast. He saw a side of his older brother that he didn't normally see. Alan had always thought of John as being so serious. Not only did he find that his older brother had a fun side, but he also found someone he could confide in. At first he was leery about talking to John about his feelings. He didn't want to endure the "you're still young, give yourself time to grow up" lecture. John, though, seemed to understand his feeling of being left out. He even seemed to understand when Alan talked about the increase of arguments with his dad. John assured him that they all had gone through it, that it was a perfectly normal part of growing up. John explained that Alan was trying to assert his independence and that their dad still viewed him as a child who needed to be told what to do. John assured him that things would eventually get better. Alan felt better for a while after their talk that day. He didn't feel so lonely.

Alan's gaze drew back to the picture. The picture was of the two of them holding a sailfish that Alan had caught. It was the first time that Alan had caught a sailfish. Granted it was a young sailfish, only about 4 feet long weighing around 45 pounds. They quickly snapped the picture and released the fish.

That was the first of many fishing trips they took that summer. Sometimes they would take the boat out and not fish but just talk. Alan never felt closer to John as he did that summer.

The anger in Alan began to rise again as he thought about how far he and John had drifted apart over the years since that summer. He had always figured that he would have time to get close to John again especially once he became a full fledged member of International Rescue. His chance would never come now. Alan realized that John was going to die without ever knowing how much he meant to him.

Alan's anger continued to build. He seemed angry at everyone. He was angry at the mad-man who poisoned his brother. He was angry at his dad for leading his brothers into a trap. He was angry at Scott and Virgil for not stopping Franklin. He was angry at Gordon for not bringing him home so that he could help with the rescue. He was angry at Brains for not finding a cure. He was angry at Fermat for realizing the reality of the situation at school while he was trying to convince himself that everything was all right. He was angry at Penny and Parker for making him face the truth. He was angry at Tin-Tin for trying to comfort him and failing. He was angry at Kyrano and Onaha for quietly trying to keep the household running while everything was falling apart. He was angry at John for dying, although he knew that it didn't make any sense. Most of all he was angry at himself. He knew that his anger was not rational, so he grew angry that he couldn't control his emotions. The more time went on the more frustrated and angry he became.

Alan looked at the picture again. The smiles on his and John's face pushed him over the edge. The anger in him exploded. Without even thinking, he clenched his fist and slammed it into the framed picture. His vision whited out for a moment. As it cleared, he saw his fist still in contact with the picture. The glass had shattered and cut his fist in various places. He stood, shocked at the sight of his own blood running down his hand. When he moved his hand, the picture fell from the wall. He turned and leaned against the wall, cradling his bleeding hand to his chest. He no longer felt angry. He no longer felt anything, including the pain he should be feeling in his hand. He was totally numb. He slowly slid down the wall. He sat on the floor staring unseeingly at his still bleeding hand. The broken and bloody picture sat on the floor next to him.

* * *

Author's note: Can you believe that Alan? He just can't handle this. Poor John, moved into another phase of the illness. How much more can this poor boy take? Was that really a glimmer of hope that we saw? Or are we just going to dash your hopes again? Keep reading and keep reviewing. Please. 


	13. Help Alan

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 13 – HELP ALAN**

Scott sat in a chair next to his brother's bed. Every few minutes he would mop John's sweat covered brow with a cool cloth, while trying to keep the cooling packs in place as John moved around. As predicted by their father, John's delirium was hard to take. He alternated between anger and cursing at Scott demanding to be released, to begging with tears running down his face, to even trying to pay Scott for his release. He struggled against the restraints, locked in various fever-induced scenarios.

Once when Scott was wiping John's forehead, John locked eyes with him. In a child-like voice, he begged. "Please, I want to go home. I want my mommy and daddy." Tears began to fall from John's eyes. "I need to help mommy take care of Virgil and Gordon. Mommy is going to have a new baby. Please, I promise that I'll be a good boy and help her. I have to go home. I want to see my mommy."

Scott brushed the hair back from John's forehead. Through his own tears, Scott tried to comfort his brother. "It's OK, Johnny. You'll see Mom soon."

All of a sudden John's demeanor changed. "Get your filthy hands off me, you coward. Let me loose and fight me like a man." He challenged. "You won't get away with this. You have no idea **who** you're dealing with. Come on, prove that you're a man."

Scott went back to sitting quietly next to his brother. John finally fell into a light and restless sleep. Scott checked his watch. Virgil should be relieving him in about 40 minutes. Scott put his head in his hands and began to think. Scott decided to talk to his dad about Alan. It had been incredibly difficult for him to sit with John and listen to his rantings. He knew it would be hard for Virgil and Gordon too, but he had faith that they could handle themselves. Alan, on the other hand, was only fifteen. He wasn't ready for this. Scott was going to tell his dad that it would be too traumatic for Alan. He just hoped that both his dad and Alan would understand his concerns.

John's voice drew Scott back from his thoughts.

"Alan?" John said.

"No John, Alan isn't here." Scott replied. Glancing at his watch, he could see that John only slept for about fifteen minutes.

"Scott?" John said in confusion. "I'm in the infirmary?"

"Yeah, you're pretty sick here." Scott replied. This was the most lucid that John had been in the last two hours. Scott couldn't help but wonder how long it would last.

"Scott, I have to find Alan. He's hurt." John said pulling slightly on the restraints. "You have to let me go."

Although John seemed calm enough at the moment, Scott knew that he could turn combative at any moment. "I'm sorry John. I wish that I could let you go, but you could hurt yourself."

"But Alan…I have to find Alan." John pleaded.

"Alan is fine, John." Scott tried to placate his brother. "He's getting some rest, like you should be. We are all taking turns sitting with you."

"No Scott." John said getting more agitated. "He's hurt. I can feel it. Please, if you won't let me go find him, then you go. He needs help Scott. He's our brother. We have to help him."

"OK John, ok, settle down." Scott said. "I'll contact Alan and have him come down here so you can see for yourself that he is ok. Will that work?"

"He can't come. He's hurt. He needs help." John insisted.

"Then I'll have Virgil find him." Scott said. "Calm down. I'm sure that everything is OK."

"Tell him to hurry. Find Alan. He needs our help." John said closing his eyes.

Scott moved away from the bed. He wanted John to be able to sleep if he could. He tried reaching Alan but did not get a reply. He began to wonder if maybe John was right. "No," Scott thought to himself. "He was really upset when he left. He probably went off somewhere alone and left his watch behind, not wanting to be disturbed."

Scott contacted Virgil and explained the situation to him. "So I told him that I'd have you find Alan and bring him here."

"You don't think John is right, do you? That Alan is hurt?" Virgil inquired.

"No, I think it's part of his delusion, but if it calms him down, I want Alan to come here." Scott explained.

"F-A-B Scott. I'll let you know as soon as I find Alan." Virgil said as he ended the communication.

* * *

Virgil spent the next fifteen minutes searching for Alan. So far, he had checked Alan's room, the lounge, the kitchen, the pool and the gym. He headed to Brains' lab thinking maybe Alan had gone there to try to help in any way that he could. When he entered the lab, he found Brains and Kyrano in a deep discussion. Tin-Tin and Fermat sat together in another corner of the lab. 

"What's going on?" Virgil asked Tin-Tin.

"Brains is trying to use the extract from the orchid root to find a cure." Tin-Tin answered.

Virgil's eyebrows shot up. "Could it really work?"

Tin-Tin shrugged. "I don't know. The orchid roots have been used as a natural cure for different illnesses for many years. My dad is the expert on natural remedies. That's why he is trying to help Brains. All we can do is wait."

Virgil nodded his head. "OK, has either of you seen Alan? John's been asking for him and Scott thinks that seeing him will help calm him down."

Tin-Tin shook her head. "I haven't seen him since we were on the beach together."

Virgil turned to Fermat. He was confused by the guilty look on the young man's face. "Fermat?"

"I saw h-h-Alan when he left the in-in-sickroom." Fermat said. "He looked pretty an-an-an-upset."

"Did you see where he went?" Virgil asked.

"He was h-h-h-going toward his room." Fermat said.

"I checked his room. He wasn't there." Virgil replied. "Any other ideas where he might have gone?"

"He may have g-g-g-went to the beach." Fermat hazarded a guess. "He goes there s-s-s-a lot when he is up-up-bothered by something."

Virgil looked at Fermat. "There's something else that you're not telling me. Give."

Fermat looked at the floor. "Well in the p-p-p-before when Alan was this up-up-bothered he usually ends up in tr-tr-tr-making problems."

"Well, I hope he has more sense than that." Virgil said. "The last thing we need right now is him causing trouble. If you guys happen to see him, let me know."

Fermat and Tin-Tin both nodded and Virgil left the lab. He headed back towards the bedrooms hoping that maybe Alan had returned. Again he found Alan's room empty. So he headed back toward the exterior doors so he could check the beach. As he passed John's bedroom door, he stopped as a thought dawned. If he wanted to feel close to John, what better place to go than his bedroom.

Virgil slowly opened the door partway. "Alan? Are you…" He stopped when he saw the state of the room. "What the hell." He said as he pushed the door open the rest of the way. He saw Alan sitting against the wall. He was slightly surprised that Alan had not reacted when he opened the door. Moving towards his brother, he began a lecture. "My God, Alan, did you do this? What were you thinking?"

He stopped short when he saw that Alan's hand was covered in blood. He ducked into John's bathroom and grabbed a clean towel. Kneeling next to Alan, he began to carefully examine his hand. "Oh Sprout, what did you do to yourself?" He asked quietly.

He could see various cuts across Alan's knuckles and the back of his hand. Most of the cuts were minor and had already stopped bleeding. There were two spots though that were still slowly bleeding. Virgil gently wrapped the towel around Alan's hand being careful not to put it on too tight. He didn't want to re-open any of the cuts and make the bleeding worse.

Alan continued to stare at his hand. Virgil was getting concerned over the lack of response from Alan. "Alan? Sprout? Can you hear me?"

Alan finally turned toward Virgil. Virgil was startled to see the hauntingly vacant look in his brother's eyes. "Come on Sprout. You need to have Brains check out your hand." Virgil said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "Can you stand? How about walk?"

Alan struggled to his feet. Virgil helped him up relieved that Alan was finally responding to him no matter how small. When Alan was finally on his feet, Virgil noticed a picture that had been lying next to Alan. He picked it up and saw the broken glass still clinging to the frame. "Is this what you cut your hand on?" He asked.

Alan's gaze fell on the picture. He reached out with his good hand and gingerly took the picture from Virgil.

"Hey careful," Virgil admonished. "There's still broken glass in the frame."

Alan again ignored his brother and held the picture to his chest. He began to slowly shuffle to the door. Virgil debated about taking the picture from him but decided that trying that would cause a fight which could lead to one or both of them getting cut.

Gently placing his hand on Alan's back, Virgil guided Alan down the hallway. "Let's get you to the infirmary, so Brains can help you."

* * *

Scott looked up when he heard the door open and was shocked to see Virgil guiding a slow moving Alan into the room. 

"Let's get you on the bed." Virgil told Alan. "Then I'll call Brains."

"Virg?" Scott said questioningly, moving towards his brothers.

"He'll be OK, Scott." Virgil responded. "He just cut his hand. I thought Brains should look at it. He may need to put in a couple of stitches."

Scott sighed and shook his head. "John was right. I don't know how, but he knew."

"Scott?" John's voice interrupted Scott.

Scott moved back to John's bedside. In the background, he could hear Virgil talking to Brains. Knowing that Virgil was taking care of Alan, Scott turned his attention to John. "John, how are you doing? Do you need something?"

"Scott, what's wrong with Alan? Is he OK? I need to see him." John said pulling lightly on the restraints.

Scott was confused, but also relieved, to see John calm and lucid. "I don't think that's a good idea, John." Scott said. "He's OK, I swear. He's just got a couple of cuts on his hand. No big deal."

"Then why can't I see him?" John asked. "Please Scott. It's important to me."

It was breaking Scott's heart to have to say no to John. "John, you've been so sick. I really think that you should stay in bed and rest."

"Five minutes Scott." John argued. "Five minutes with Alan and then I'll go right back to bed. I promise. Please, Scott."

Scott's resolve wavered and then crumbled. "All right, John. Five minutes and then back to bed **and** I stand beside you the whole time **and** when I say back to bed, you go back to bed with no arguments. Deal?"

"Deal," John agreed.

Scott removed the restraints and helped John into first a sitting and then a standing position. John suddenly turned on his brother. He threw a punch connecting solidly with Scott's jaw, sending him reeling back into the bed.

"Virgil, grab him." Scott yelled as John pulled out his IV and moved to Alan's bedside.

Virgil, who was talking to his dad, looked over at Scott's startled cry. He was shocked to see John out of bed. "What the hell? Dad, I have to go." He said as he disconnected the communication. Virgil cautiously approached John who was trying to get an unresponsive Alan to move. "John, come on buddy, you need to get back to bed."

"I'm getting my brother out of here." John said in an angry, menacing tone.

Scott collected himself and began to advance on John. "We're your brothers too, John. We just want to help you."

John gave Scott a snort. "Do you think that I am as stupid as you?" His gaze flicked back and forth between Scott and Virgil. He held a warning hand out to them. "Don't come any closer. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to get my brother out of here. I won't let you hurt him anymore."

"We didn't hurt him, John." Virgil said still advancing on John holding his hands up in a non-threatening manner. "We want to help him just like we want to help you."

"Yeah, sure, you want to help me." John said sarcastically. "You've been a great help so far. You've tied me to a bed and you're pumping only God knows what into my veins. Yeah, big help you've been."

Suddenly John's adrenalin rush dissipated and he sagged against Alan's bed. Scott and Virgil grabbed him on each side and steered him back toward his bed.

"No, let me go." John fought weakly against his brothers, but he had lost all his strength. As the restraints were replaced, John looked over at Alan who still remained motionless on the bed. "Alan, I'm sorry that I didn't save you. Please forgive me." John said as he dissolved into tears.

Scott fought his own tears. "We should've just used the original antidote. At least this would have been over by now." He hadn't even realized that he had said it out loud until he felt Virgil's open hand connect with the back of his head with a thud.

"Don't say that." Virgil said angrily. "Don't even think that, especially in front of Alan. He's having a hard enough time dealing with this."

Scott finally exploded. "And do you really think that this has been easy for me. I am sitting here watching my brother in pain, not even knowing who I am, and I know there is absolutely nothing that I can do to help him. I…you…" He stopped to collect his thoughts and emotions.

Virgil placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "It's hard on all of us, but Alan was right. As long as John is still alive, we have to have hope. Brains is still working on new ideas. We just have to wait a little longer."

Scott nodded his head as he brushed a tear away from his eyes.

* * *

Author's note: Is John psychic of something? Boy, did Scott learn the hard way about thinking with his heart and not his head. Poor Alan, how long will he shut down emotionally? Can Virgil help his brothers deal all this? 

From Convert: Aww, this chapter even brought tears to Grumpy's eyes, and that is a hard thing to do.

From Grumpy: What can I say? That scene with John so child-like got to me. So sue me.


	14. Reaction and Reflection

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 14 – REACTION AND REFLECTION**

When Brains entered the infirmary, he caught the tail end of an argument. He could see that the stress of the situation was wearing on the whole family. He just wished that he could stop it. "What's h-h-h-going on?" He asked.

Virgil and Scott looked over at him. They didn't even realize that he had entered the room. Virgil gave Scott an encouraging pat on the back, and then he turned to Brains. "Alan cut his hand." He said. "There are a couple of places that may need stitches. Plus John needs his IV restarted."

"John?" Brains was confused, as he made his way over to John's bedside. "How did his IV get p-p-p-disconnected?"

Scott looked at the floor. "He pulled it out himself when I let him up."

"You let him up?" His father's voice asked incredulously. Scott instantly looked up and saw his father standing just inside the door with Gordon at his side. Jeff crossed the room and stood between the two beds. "Can someone explain to me what is going on?" Addressing Scott and motioning to a still sobbing John, he continued. "Why would you let John up in the state that he's in?"

"I'm sorry Dad." Scott replied. "When Virgil brought Alan in, John said that he wanted to see him, to talk to him. He seemed so lucid. He was calm and rational when he talked to me. He promised that he would go back to bed after five minutes with Alan, Unfortunately when I let him up, he turned on me and tried to remove Alan from the infirmary. He thinks we're the enemy out to hurt him and Alan. He is feeling guilty about not 'rescuing' Alan."

Jeff nodded his head. "John would be upset if he thought he had failed one of his brothers. You all share that trait."

By this time Brains had re-started the IV on John and was now examining Alan's hand.

"How is he, Brains?" Jeff asked.

"It looks w-w-w-more harmful than it is." Brains began to explain. "I have not d-d-d-found any nerve or tendon damage. Virgil was r-r-correct. There are two areas that r-r-r-need stitches. I am c-c-c-worried about this state of shock that he ap-ap-has fallen into."

"Could it be from blood loss?" Jeff asked.

Brains shook his head. "He really didn't l-l-l-it wasn't that bad. In my op-op-op-thinking, it is being caused by the emotional tr-tr-stresses that he is exp-exp-dealing with."

"OK, how do we deal with it?" Jeff questioned.

"At this m-m-m-time, I think that r-r-r-sleep would be the best for him." Brains replied. "I would like to give him a sleeping p-p-p-agent. Nothing very str-str-heavy, just enough to let his body fall into the sleep that his br-br-br-mind is resisting."

"OK Brains, you have my permission to give him the sleeping pill." Jeff said.

"Before I do," Brains interrupted. "I must cau-cau-warn you. There is a sm-sm-sm-slim possibility that the s-s-s-medicine could cause Alan's mind to re-re-hide farther behind this emotional w-w-w-barricade that it has er-er-put up."

Jeff was even more concerned. "What are you saying?"

"There is the pos-pos-chance that he will st-st-st-remain in this unresponsive state even once the sedative has w-w-w-no longer affecting him." Brains answered him.

"How big of a chance?" Jeff wanted to know.

"Not a l-l-l-big percent." Brains replied. "But I did feel that you should be w-w-w-made aware of the possibility."

Jeff nodded his head. "OK Brains, I will defer to your judgment. If you think this is best than do it."

"Thank you Mr. Tr-Tr-Tracy." Brains said as he moved to the supply cabinet to get the things he needed and also spoke quietly in an effort to comfort Alan if he could.

Jeff noticed that by this time John had fallen into a restless sleep, so he turned to his other sons. "Virgil, you were interrupted when you called me about Alan. Could you now explain to me how he got hurt?"

Virgil nodded and began his explanation. "Scott called me and said that John was very upset. He was insisting that Alan was hurt. He asked me to find Alan and bring him to the infirmary so that John could see that he was all right and hopefully he would calm down. I searched for a while and finally found him in John's room." Pausing for a second, he ran a hand through his hair. "Dad, Alan trashed John's room. I mean it's a real mess. I started to lecture him, but then I noticed the blood. I grabbed a towel and wrapped his hand and brought him to the infirmary. He walked under his own power, but I had to guide him. He never responded to my questions and when he looked at me, his eyes held this vacant, hollow stare. It really concerned me. Even when John punched Scott and tried to get Alan to leave, Alan just sat there staring blankly at what was happening, but he never gave a response, not once."

Turning to Scott, Jeff asked. "John punched you? Where?"

"In the jaw. No big deal." Scott replied.

Jeff turned to Brains. Alan had already fallen asleep and Brains was working on putting the stitches in his hand. "When you're done Brains, I would like you to check out Scott's jaw, just as a precaution."

"It's nothing, Dad, really. I've had worse when we have rough-housed." Scott argued. "I'll have a couple of loose teeth for a few days and maybe a bruise. I don't need to be examined."

"I'm not taking any chances. You will be examined, Scott. That's the end of it." Jeff said in his "commander" tone.

"Yes sir." Scott said glumly. He returned to the chair at John's bedside. He knew by his father's tone that he was not going to win this particular argument, and resigned himself to the inevitable examination. He really couldn't be mad at his dad. He knew that this sense of "over-protectiveness" was a direct result of the "helplessness" that he was feeling in regards to John's situation.

Turning back to Virgil, Jeff asked. "You said that when you found Alan, his hand was already bleeding. Do you know what he cut it on?"

"I am pretty sure that this is it." Virgil said as he picked up the photo off the tray where Brains had set it earlier. "I found this next to Alan. The glass is broken and there is some blood on the picture."

Jeff shook himself mentally. He hadn't even noticed the picture lying on the tray. Jeff took the picture from Virgil and recognized it right away. "It's from one of their fishing trips." Jeff murmured.

Virgil nodded his head. "They sure did spend a lot of time fishing a while back, didn't they?"

Jeff gave a small laugh, still looking at the picture. "John hated the fishing part. Did you know that?" Virgil gave Jeff a small shake of his head. Jeff continued. "John knew though how much it meant to Alan. For two boys who seemed so much apart, John always seemed to have a special connection to Alan. He was always there to be Alan's guide, confidant and protector."

This time it was Virgil's turn to laugh lightly. "I know what you mean. Even when Alan was being a pain in the butt, John was always the first to defend him especially to us. He would point out the stupid things we did at Alan's age and insist that we 'give him a chance'."

Jeff nodded. "I wish that it worked both ways. Alan doesn't seem to have that kind of a sense of protectiveness toward John. He'd be amazed if he only knew how many times John has gone to bat for him to keep him out of trouble, or to get me to agree to let him do certain things that he wanted to do. Shoot, Alan wouldn't be training for International Rescue yet if John hadn't talked to me. I made the rest of you wait until you were sixteen, but John made some very convincing arguments that I couldn't refute. I guess he will find out though when that buffer is gone."

Virgil nodded but before he could speak, they heard Brains call Scott over to another chair so he could examine him.

"I'm going to sit with John for a while. Why don't you go get some rest?" Jeff told Virgil.

"But it's my turn to sit with him." Virgil argued. "I was supposed to relieve Scott a half hour ago."

"I know." Jeff countered. "But after what has happened with Alan, I think you need a break. So I'll sit with them."

Virgil turned toward the door, but stopped. Turning back he asked. "Can I bring you anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?"

"Have Onaha bring me some of that 'calming' tea that she blends herself." Jeff said. "Then you go rest."

"OK Dad, I'll see you later." Virgil said as he left the infirmary.

Moving toward his sons' beds, Jeff stopped to see how Scott was. "How is he, Brains?"

"There are no br-br-fractures." Brains began to explain. "There are two l-l-l-teeth that are not held tight. They should t-t-repair themselves over the next f-f-f-couple of days. He has a br-br-discoloration that is already ap-ap-ap-forming but that will also f-f-f-go away over the next few days."

"See I told you, Dad." Scott said.

Jeff just nodded. "I know you did, but I also know that you tend to downplay it when you're hurt. I just wanted to make sure that you are all right. Now I'm going to take this shift with the boys. I want you to go get some rest."

For once Scott didn't argue. "OK Dad, I'll see you in a while."

Jeff turned toward Gordon who had been standing next to Alan's bedside. "Why don't you take off too?"

Gordon hesitated a moment. "Are you sure Dad? I can sit with the guys if you want."

"Yes Gordon, I'm sure." Jeff said. "Why don't you grab something to eat? You can relieve me in a couple of hours."

"OK Dad, I'll see you later." Gordon said as he left the room.

"If there's n-n-n-everything is taken care of right now, I need to r-r-r-go back to the lab." Brains said.

"OK Brains. Thank you for what you did." Jeff said.

"You're welcome M-M-Mr. Tracy." Brains said. "C-C-Let me know if there is any change in their con-con-con-status." Brains left the infirmary leaving Jeff alone with his two sons who were both sleeping.

Jeff stood by Alan's bedside. He gently brushed a lock of hair out of his face. Jeff studied this son, his youngest, the baby. Alan had already suffered so much. His mother had died when he was so young. The other boys at least had their memories of her, but not Alan. He had to rely on pictures and the stories that his brothers told to learn about his mother. He also strived to prove himself to his older brothers. Being the youngest, he tended to get pushed to the side, especially when it came to the rescue business. Jeff could already tell that Alan had great instincts when it came to rescues, but he was still young. Those instincts needed to be honed and his impulsive tendency needed to be toned down. Now this happened. Alan admired and respected all his brothers and the prospect of losing one had obviously been too much for him. Jeff hoped and prayed that once he woke up that Alan would be in a better mental state.

Jeff moved to John's bedside. So similar to Alan in looks but so different in personality. John was Jeff's calming voice, his rock, his confidant. Jeff knew that his other sons turned to John with their problems just like he did. How could he have let this happen? Especially to John? He prayed for the miracle that they so desperately needed. He ran the cooling cloth over John's sweat-covered brow.

John let out a small whimper. He slowly opened his eyes. It took about a minute for John to focus on his father's face. "Daddy?" The small child in John was back.

Stroking John's hair, Jeff's eyes locked with John's. "Yes son, I'm here."

Tears began to escape John's eyes. "It hurts Daddy. Please make it stop. Please Daddy."

Jeff continued to stroke John's hair with one hand. With the other he gently held John's hand. He had to battle his own tears. "I know it hurts Johnny. I'm trying to make it better, but it will take some time."

"Where's Mommy?" John asked. "I want to see Mommy. She can make me feel better."

Despite his resolve, a few tears escaped Jeff's eyes and slowly rolled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry John, but Mommy can't be here right now. She would be if she could. She's worried about you. I know it. I promised her that I would make sure that everyone took really good care of you. Now how about you closing your eyes and trying to sleep. I'll stay right here and hold your hand. OK?"

"OK Daddy," John said as his eyes drifted closed. As he gave in to sleep, he said in a quiet whisper. "I love you Daddy."

Jeff cleared his throat three times before he could finally choke out. "I love you too, Johnny." Jeff finally gave in and let the tears fall.

* * *

Author's note: Oh my God, how much more can these poor Tracy's take. Will Alan be better once he wakes up? More tears for Jeff and John, what an emotional scene. Again we want to thank all the readers and especially the reviewers. Please keep up with the reviews. They are very important to us. 


	15. Hope Fades

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 15 – HOPE FADES**

Fifteen hours later, Jeff was on his way to Brains' lab. Time seemed to be moving both fast and slow to Jeff. He thought back over the last few hours. Alan had slept for six and a half hours. He was still upset when he woke up but at least he was functioning. Alan wanted to take a rotation sitting with John, but Jeff refused which resulted in a heated argument.

_FLASHBACK BEGINS_

"Alan, I know that this is hard for you to understand." Jeff said trying not to yell. "I'm only doing what I think is best for you."

Alan though did yell. "You're treating me like a child. You never think that I can do anything. He's my brother. I can do this. You just have to trust me."

"This has nothing to do with trust." Jeff interrupted. "This has to do with the fact that sitting with John at this particular time is extremely difficult. I know. As much as I am worried about John, I also have four other boys to consider. Even though you fight against it, the fact is, at fifteen, you still are a child, and as your father, I have a responsibility to keep you from harm. That's why I made this decision. You shouldn't have to see your brother like this."

Alan tried to reason with his dad. "It's not a 'have to' situation Dad. I **want** to do this. Look, I'm sorry about my emotional outburst before, but that's out of my system now. I can handle it."

"Virgil couldn't." Jeff said quietly.

"What?" Alan asked in a confused tone.

"Virgil, during his last rotation, had to be relieved 35 minutes early." Jeff explained. "He couldn't handle it. Scott had to take over for him."

Alan sat down dejectedly. He folded and unfolded his hands. Quietly he said. "But I'm not Virgil."

Jeff sighed. "I know you're not, and I know this seems unfair to you. This whole situation has been unfair to everybody. John certainly never deserved being poisoned. You and your brothers shouldn't have to watch him die little by little. I'm at a loss for what to do. I always thought that if I was going to lose one of you that it would be because of an accident during a rescue. It would be quick, not this watching and waiting. Even when I lost your mother in the avalanche, it was quick. When the ski patrol found her, they determined that she had broken her neck which would have killed her instantly." Jeff stopped talking as he got lost in his thoughts and memories.

"Dad?" Alan questioned.

Jeff shook himself mentally. "Sorry Alan, I got lost in some memories. Look I know that you don't understand my decision, and you are definitely not happy with it, but it is what I have decided."

"I can't believe you are keeping me from John." Alan said angrily.

Jeff tried to keep his tone neutral. "I'm not trying to keep you from John. I just don't want you alone with him. If things are quiet, you may see him for a few minutes. It will be up to whoever is sitting with him to determine if you can come in. If the answer is no, that's it. I don't want you to fight it."

"But Dad…" Alan tried to argue.

Jeff cut him off. "No Alan, this is the decision I made. Right or wrong, it is what it is. If the situation changes, then I'll reconsider my decision."

"Fine, just fine," Alan said as he left the room in a huff.

Jeff rested his head in his hands. He knew that his decision had hurt Alan, but he knew that allowing Alan to take a rotation would also hurt him. It was a no-win situation. Jeff left his office and headed to the kitchen. He wasn't really hungry, but his rotation would be coming up soon, and he needed to keep his strength up.

_END FLASHBACK_

Jeff found himself outside of Brains' lab. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even realized that he had reached his destination. Brains had called him a few minutes before and asked to see him. Jeff knew that Brains and Kyrano had been working together to try to find a cure. Jeff hesitated. Once he opened that door, he would learn the fate of his son. The cure would work or not. His son would live or not. Jeff tried to pull himself together. Putting it off was not going to change the outcome. He opened the door and walked in. Brains was at his workbench, and Kyrano stood off to the side.

"OK Brains, have you found out anything?" Jeff asked.

"I wish that I could g-g-g-have better news." Brains began.

Jeff felt his heart drop. "So the antidote doesn't work."

"I don't know for s-s-s-absolutely." Brains explained. "The pre-pre-first tests showed promise, but we don't have time to run fur-fur-more conclusive tests."

"So what are you saying, Brains?" Jeff asked impatiently.

"You need to m-m-m-come to a decision." Brains said. "Do you want me to g-g-g-administer the antidote to J-J-him even though I can't guar-guar-be certain of the results?"

"What's the worse that could happen, Brains? Could it kill him?" Jeff asked, looking between Brains and Kyrano.

"It c-c-c-it's a possibility." Brains replied, seeming to be the spokesman for the two.

Jeff sighed. "Well, that's going to happen if we don't do anything, so you need to go ahead and give it to him. It's John's only hope right now."

"OK, Mr. Tracy," Brains said. "I just th-th-th-felt that you should be in-in-made aware of the situation. I'll go give him the an-an-serum now."

"Thank you Brains and you too Kyrano. I know that you both worked long and hard on this." Jeff told his friends. Placing a hand on Brains' shoulder, he said. "I'll come with you. Hopefully, we will have our answers soon."

* * *

When Jeff and Brains entered the infirmary, John was frantically pulling at the restraints and screaming. Scott sat quietly in a chair next to the bed. He had given up trying to comfort his brother. In this delusional state, anything he said or did only seemed to make John worse.

John saw Brains raise the syringe to the IV port. He began to fight harder and yelled at Scott. "See. I knew it. I knew it." Turning back to Brains, he pleaded. "Don't do this. Don't give into them. Fight for control of your mind. You don't have to do what they say."

Brains ignored him and injected the serum into the port.

John closed his eyes and moaned. "Oh no, no. What have they done to me?"

"Hopefully saving your life," Brains said quietly without stuttering once.

Scott moved to stand next to his father at the end of John's bed. "What's he giving him?" He asked.

"Hopefully the cure," Jeff replied.

"The cure?" Scott said excitedly. "And it works?"

Jeff exhaled loudly. "Brains doesn't know for sure. The preliminary tests showed promise, but there just isn't time to run the conclusive tests. But at this point it is the only hope there is."

"How long until we know?" Scott asked.

"There's no way of knowing when it will take affect, if it takes affect." Jeff answered his son honestly. Changing the subject, he asked. "Any ideas about what his delusions are now?"

"Yeah, he thinks we're aliens who have abducted him in order to perform 'human experiments'." Scott said. "You know if things weren't so serious, it would be funny. Something right out of Gordon's old sci-fi movies."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Jeff said. Turning to Brains, he asked. "Any reaction?"

"There doesn't s-s-appear to be. I'm sorry Mr. Tracy." Brains replied.

"You did your best. That's all you could have done." Jeff told Brains. Turning to Scott he asked. "Do you want me to relieve you?"

"I think it would be better if you went and talked to Alan." Scott said. "He was in here when John began his latest 'delusion'. I could see he was getting upset, so I insisted he leave. He was pretty mad at me."

"I'll try, but he was pretty mad at me when I laid down that rule." Jeff said with a sigh. "He said that I was treating him like a child."

"I know." Scott said. "He's always had a hard time dealing with being the youngest. I know he gets irritated with my 'over-protectiveness', but I was protective of all my brothers. I still am at times. Alan just doesn't see it."

"I know. Believe me, I know." Jeff said. "He wants to be an adult so bad. He just doesn't realize that the protectiveness doesn't go away. It just changes in how we demonstrate it. Both Virgil and Gordon have rolled their eyes at me when we work together on rescues."

Scott nodded his head toward the vacant chair. "I'm going to go back and sit with John."

Jeff returned the nod. "OK, let me know if there is any change. I'll go find Alan."

Jeff checked for Alan's locater and saw that he was on the beach. Jeff smiled in spite of himself. He should have known that's where Alan would have gone. He decided to watch Alan's signal and see if Alan would come in by himself. It would give Alan some time to himself to deal with his anger. Plus it would give Jeff some time to figure out what to say to his youngest.

* * *

After a half hour though, Jeff decided that he had given Alan enough time and headed to the beach. He sat down next to his son. Alan sat with his fore arms resting on his bent knees. He had a piece of driftwood in his hands that he fiddled with. He stared out at the ocean waves that gently lapped upon the beach.

"Alan, are you OK?" Jeff asked.

Alan hesitated for a moment before he quietly answered. "No."

Jeff was shocked. He expected Alan to rant in anger about Scott forcing him from the infirmary. A quiet Alan concerned Jeff more than an angry Alan. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alan sighed and bowed his head. "You were right Dad. I am a child."

Now Jeff was really confused. He waited for Alan to continue, but Alan remained quiet. "Alan?" He prompted. "Is this about what happened in the infirmary?"

Alan nodded his head. "When I first got there, John was sleeping. So Scott and I were talking and then John let out this blood curdling scream. I have never heard anything like it. It was so primal, almost animalistic." Alan's eyes met his dad's gaze for just a second before dropping back to stare at his hands. "It scared me Dad. I was terrified. I wanted to leave the infirmary right then, but I couldn't seem to move. Scott had to tell me to leave twice before I could finally move. I'm such a selfish jerk."

Jeff placed a hand on Alan's shoulder. "You're not being selfish, and you're definitely not a jerk. You are just human. I know how hard this is and so do your brothers."

Tears filled Alan's eyes. "I can't do this, Dad. I don't know how to handle it. I'm so torn up that I hurt. Physically, I mean. My head is pounding. I have a dull ache in my chest. My legs feel so weak that I'm walking like an eighty-year old man. I'm afraid, Dad. I'm so afraid that I can't think straight." Finally Alan dissolved into tears.

Jeff pulled his son to him. He fought his own tears as he held Alan. "I'm sorry this is happening. You're reacting to the stress. Just remember though, you aren't alone. We are all having a hard time with this, and we are all reacting differently. The important thing is that we are there for each other. Don't be afraid to come to any of us. We will get through this together. We will grieve together. We will heal together. Our bonds will grow stronger through this."

Alan nodded into his dad's chest. He pulled away and began to wipe the tears from his eyes as he pulled himself together. Before he could say anything, his dad's watch beeped.

Jeff keyed his watch and Brains' face appeared. "I'm sorry to in-in-call you right now." Brains said. "But I thought you should be aw-aw-aw-told. John sl-sl-sl-fell into a coma a few min-min-just now."

Jeff felt his heart drop and his throat go dry. Clearing it, he spoke in a strained voice. "Thank you Brains. I will be there shortly."

Once Jeff disconnected the call, Alan asked. "So now that he's in the coma that gives Brains, what was it, four hours to find the antidote?"

Jeff sighed and looked at his watch. "Brains thought he had the antidote. He gave it to John almost an hour ago."

Alan's eyes widened as the reality behind that statement sunk in. "So that's it. It didn't work. He's going to die."

This time it was Jeff who hesitated as he stared out over the water. Quietly he said. "Yeah, he is."

Both Alan and Jeff sat in silence trying to reconcile themselves to John's fate. Finally Jeff broke the silence. "I have to meet Brains in the infirmary."

"Can I come too?" Alan asked.

Jeff looked at Alan. He was unsure on how to answer given Alan's admission just a few minutes before. "Only if you're sure that you want to? I don't want you to come if you don't think that you could handle it emotionally."

Alan nodded his head. "I can do this. I **have** to do this. I have to do this for John."

Jeff stood up and extended a helping hand to Alan. "OK, if you're sure. Let's go."

Alan stood and walked back to the villa with his father's arm around his shoulders. He slipped his arm around his dad's back, leaning on his dad. Quietly he said. "Thanks Dad, I love you."

* * *

Author's note: Oh man, poor John now in a coma, poor Alan who now is coming to terms with the situation, poor Jeff dealing with all this, poor Brains who thought he had an antidote. Convert has gone so far underground, and she refuses to come out even to give a statement. The end is coming shortly. We want to thank everyone who read and reviewed our story. There were a few who did anonymous reviews so we were unable to reply to you directly, but we still want to acknowledge how much your reviews mean to us. Thank you. 


	16. Tearful Goodbye

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**WARNING: Better get the hanky ready.**

**Chapter 16 – TEARFUL GOODBYE**

Scott woke up to the sound of the alarm. He checked his watch and saw that it had been a little over six hours since John had slipped into the coma. His father had insisted that Scott try to get some sleep. He had tried to argue, but Jeff had been adamant. Virgil, who had just gotten up from five hours of sleep, took his place sitting next to John. Gordon was asleep so Jeff insisted that Scott also get some down time. Scott was surprised that he had even fallen asleep, but being jerked awake by the alarm assured him that he had slept. Slipping quickly into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, he ran down the hall towards the command center.

When Scott reached the command center, he found that his dad and three brothers were already there. Alan was dressed similar to Scott. His hair was sticking out at odd angles indicating that he had also been sleeping.

Jeff looked up and saw that Scott had arrived. "Good, you're all here. We've received a call from southwest Oklahoma. They have a wild fire sweeping across the area. It is heading for a remote campground that has been evacuated. Unfortunately, there are two groups of campers that are unaccounted for. One group is three college kids out for an 'end-of-exams' excursion. The other is a father with his three teenage boys for a birthday camping trip. Now, I know that this is a horrible time to go out, but there are lives at stake out there. I made it clear to the authorities that we would only try to rescue the missing campers, but that fire containment is their responsibility. Scott, head out in Thunderbird 1. I want you to try to locate the missing campers by the time that Thunderbird 2 gets there. You can use the new bio-detector that Brains installed. Virgil, Gordon, you'll take Thunderbird 2. Make sure that you have plenty of burn packs and IVs. I've contacted Tin-Tin. I'm sending her with you. She has been studying first aid with Brains. She would be the best to help you with any injuries. She'll meet you in the silo."

Alan broke in. "What about me, Dad?"

"I'll let you know as soon as the boys are gone." Jeff said. Turning back to his older sons, he continued. "Head on out. Do the job, and then get back here as soon as you can."

"F-A-B." His three sons chorused as they headed off to their ships.

Once the boys had left, Jeff turned to Alan. "OK Alan, I need someone to sit with John. I know that this is a hard thing to do because we don't know when the end will come. Do you think that you can handle it? If not, I could set up a communication relay so that I can monitor the mission from the infirmary. It's your decision."

"I'll sit with John." Alan said.

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked with sympathy in his eyes. "Do you want me to have Fermat sit with you?"

Alan shook his head. "I'm sure that I want do this, but no, I don't need anyone to sit with me. I need this time alone with John, anyways."

Jeff nodded. "OK, if you're sure, but if you feel overwhelmed, let me know. We can always re-work the arrangement."

Alan returned the nod. "OK, I'll talk to you later. Let me know how the mission goes."

"F-A-B Alan, I'll keep you informed." Jeff said as Alan left the room.

* * *

A half hour later, Jeff was getting a mission update from Scott. "According to the authorities, the three college students were at a bar in a nearby town. At least they had the sense to contact the authorities when they found out about the fire. As far as the family, I'm going to start a circular search grid starting from their campsite. Tell Brains that this bio-detector is great. The way it's picking out animals so far is amazing. Wait a minute. There they are. Dad I've picked up four human bio-signs. They are by a lake about 250 yards from the fire."

"What is Thunderbird 2's ETA?" Jeff asked. "Can they get to them before the fire?"

"Thunderbird 2's ETA is about 12.3 minutes." Scott replied. "The fire is traveling southeast. The campers are to the west of the fire line. So as long as the wind doesn't shift, they should be OK."

"F-A-B Scott," Jeff said. "Let me know when Thunderbird 2 gets there or if the situation changes."

"F-A-B. Talk to you in a bit." Scott replied.

* * *

Another half hour later, the rescue was over and the Thunderbirds were on their way home. Jeff was talking with Alan. "Since Scott had the location already, Virgil came in with Two and Gordon pulled them up with the rescue platform. Then they dropped them off at the fire departments command center. It took less than fifteen minutes once Virgil and Gordon arrived. The boys should be back in about 22 minutes. How are you doing? Do you need me to come down there?"

"I'm fine.' Alan replied. "I've been reading John an article from one of his astronomy magazines."

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked. "I can tell the boys to use their own scanners for landing clearance."

"I'm sure Dad. Stay there and bring my brothers home." Alan said.

"OK Alan let me know if you need anything." Jeff said as he ended the communication.

Alan closed the magazine in his hand. He needed to talk to John, but he was having a hard time getting his courage up. He wanted to have his say before his brothers returned so he forced himself to begin. "Well, they're on their way back. From what dad said, it was a pretty easy rescue, thank to Brains' new invention. Brains is really beating himself up because he couldn't find an antidote. I don't know how he's going to get over it. Dad too, he won't admit it, but I know that he is feeling guilty for leading you guys into a trap. I probably shouldn't be saying anything about his feelings. They say that some people who are in comas can hear what's going on around them. Knowing you, you're feeling guilty for how the rest of us are feeling. I guess it's a family trait. Feeling guilty, I mean. Dad and Scott especially, but we all do it. If one of us gets hurt, the rest feel guilty for not stopping it. Anyways, I hope that people are right about people in comas hearing things, because I need to talk to you. I've been trying to build up my courage for the last hour. I don't know why I'm so scared. It's not like you're going to interrupt me."

Alan gasped when he realized what he said. "Oh God John, I didn't mean that how it sounds. I'm sorry." Alan paused for a moment. He picked up John's hand and lightly stroked it. "I'm sorry about a lot of things. We were so close at one time and I let it slip away. You were up on Thunderbird 5 a lot and didn't have all the exciting stories like the rest of them. I mean sure you had some stories, but you didn't really like to talk about the rescues. The others were more than happy to talk about the rescues. They fed off the adrenaline, but not you. You preferred to talk about the stars and that was 'boring' to me. I'd give anything if you would wake up and give me a lesson on the constellations. Anyways, I'm getting side tracked. I want to apologize for earlier. You wanted to talk, to say goodbye and I wouldn't let you. I was afraid. I thought if I let you say goodbye that you would die, but you're dying anyways. All I did was cause you more pain. I'm sorry. I was just being selfish. I love you John. I can't even remember when was the last time I told you that. I'm sorry for that too. I shouldn't have hid my emotions from you. I do love you John. I hope you know that. I've always known that you loved me. I will carry that with me always."

Tears were flowing down Alan's face. He stood up and walked to the window. The sun was shining brightly while a gentle breeze blew across the Island. Alan smiled wryly at the serene setting. No one who saw the peaceful outside of the Island could imagine the turmoil going on inside the villa. Alan ran his hand over his face in order to wipe his tears away.

Taking a deep breath, he abruptly changed subjects. "It's a beautiful day out there. It'd be a great day to go fishing. Do you remember those trips? We had a great time. I really enjoyed those times with you."

"If you let me get a little more sleep, I'll take you again." A weak voice said.

Alan whipped around to see who had come in the room. No one else was there. It was just him and John. Alan stared at John. His eyes were still closed. His chest rose and fell gently in a steady breathing pattern. Alan slowly made his way toward the bed. His mind was reeling. "Could it be?" Alan thought. He could feel the pounding building in his chest, but he was afraid to give in to the hope that was rising.

Finally getting his voice to work, he asked. "John, can you hear me? Are you awake?"

John's eyes slowly opened and settled on Alan's face. "What are you doing here, Alan? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"**JOHN, OH MY GOD, JOHN**." Alan exclaimed. It only took a second for Alan to finish crossing the room to John's bedside. He held John's hand in one of his and gently placed the other hand on John's forehead. He could feel that John's body no longer radiated the heat like before. He couldn't stop the tears of joy that slipped from his eyes. "Thank God. Your fever has broken. How are you feeling?" Alan stopped for a moment and keyed the comm. "Brains, I need you in the infirmary **right now**." He barely heard Brains acknowledge the call before he closed the comm.

John gave Alan a confused look. "Fever? What's going on Alan? Did I get sick on Thunderbird 5?"

"You don't remember what happened? You don't remember coming home or going out on the fake rescue call?" Alan asked impatiently.

John sighed in exasperation. "No, the last thing I remember was being on Five. We had just finished a rescue call in China. I still had two weeks before my rotation was over."

Alan rested a hand on John's shoulder. With a smile on his face, he said. "Don't worry, I'm sure that dad and Brains will explain everything." Suddenly a shocked look came over his face. "Dad! I have to let dad know!"

A voice questioned from behind him. "A-A-Alan?"

Alan turned to face Brains. His eyes shone with excitement. "Brains! You're here. He's awake! He's going to be OK!"

Brains was shocked. "W-W-W-How did this happen?"

"I guess your antidote worked after all." Alan said.

"L-L-I need to ex-ex-run some tests." Brains said.

"OK." Alan said as he moved away from his brother's bed. "I need to call dad anyways."

While Brains began to examine John, Alan moved to sit on the other bed. He keyed the comm.-link to his father. When his father's face appeared on the screen, he said. "Dad, you need to come to the infirmary. It's John…" Suddenly Alan found himself so overwhelmed by a sense of relief that he couldn't speak. A sob escaped his throat, and tears coursed down his face.

Jeff saw the tears on his son's face and immediately thought the worst. "I'll be right there." He said as he disconnected the comm.-link from his end.

* * *

Author's note: Ok folks, how many people really saw that coming? Happy now? We still have a couple more chapters to go just to tie up the loose ends.

From Convert: (states indignantly) I just want to go on the record that John was never, ever in danger of dying. It was ALWAYS my intention to heal him. Unfortunately for the dramatic factor I was unable to put your fears to rest. Come on, be honest. The goodbye scenes would never have been so heart-wrenching if you knew that he would survive. (Breathes a sigh of relief) At least now, I can come out of hiding. Yeah!


	17. Misunderstandings

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**Chapter 17 – MISUNDERSTANDING**

While Brains began to examine John, Alan moved to sit on the other bed. He keyed the comm.-link to his father. When his father's face appeared on the screen, he said. "Dad, you need to come to the infirmary. It's John…" Suddenly Alan found himself so overwhelmed by a sense of relief that he couldn't speak. A sob escaped his throat, and tears coursed down his face.

Jeff saw the tears on his son's face and immediately thought the worst. "I'll be right there." He said as he disconnected the comm.-link from his end. Jeff started to get up from the desk when Scott called from Thunderbird 1.

"Thunderbird 1 to base." Scott's voice came over the comm.

Jeff sat back down. Keying the comm-link, he said. "Go ahead Thunderbird 1."

"Requesting landing clearance." Scott said.

Jeff checked the monitors. "Landing clearance granted. What is Thunderbird 2's ETA?"

"Thunderbird 2 is 4.8 minutes behind me." Was Scott's reply.

"OK Scott. I need you to handle their clearance. Then I want the three of you to meet me in the infirmary." Jeff ordered.

Scott had a look of dread on his face. "Is John…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"I'm sorry, Scott." Jeff said. "I have to go to Alan."

"How is he doing?" Scott asked in concern.

"He's upset obviously. He couldn't even get the words out when he called me. I need to go. Alan needs me." Jeff answered.

"F-A-B Dad. We'll see you in a few minutes." Scott said resignedly.

* * *

Scott was waiting anxiously for Virgil to call in. He was fighting the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. Even though John's death was expected, the reality of it was hard to accept.

"Thunderbird 2 to base, requesting landing clearance." Virgil's voice interrupted Scott's thinking.

Scott did a quick check of the scanners. "You're clear to land Virgil," he said.

"Scott? Where's dad?" Virgil questioned, not really wanting to hear the answer.

Clearing his throat, Scott said. "He's in the infirmary." Even though he fought it, his voice still cracked with emotion.

"John's gone. Isn't he?" Virgil didn't know why he asked the question. He could already hear the truth is Scott's voice.

"Yeah, he is." Scott said as he felt the tears building.

"When?" Virgil asked quietly.

Scott could hear Tin-Tin crying in the background. "I don't know. Just a short time ago, I think. Dad was just leaving his office when I called in for clearance. He wants us to meet them there as soon as you land."

"F-A-B, Scott." Virgil said. "We'll be down in a minute."

* * *

Scott paced outside Thunderbird 2's silo. He could hear her as Virgil carefully backed her into the hidden hanger. He waited until he heard the engines come to a stop, and then he entered the hanger. The door opened and Tin-Tin exited first being gently guided from behind by Gordon. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Gordon spoke quiet words of comfort while trying to hold back his own tears.

Virgil disembarked Thunderbird 2 after Gordon and Tin-Tin. He locked his gaze with Scott for a moment. Scott could see the turmoil in Virgil's eyes, and opened his arms to his brother. Virgil moved into Scott's embrace. Even though Virgil wasn't crying, Scott could feel the despair emanating from Virgil as his embrace got tighter and tighter.

"I know Virgil." Scott said quietly in Virgil's ear. "I know. I wish I could change things, but…"

"I know Scott." Virgil said as he pulled back from the embrace. "I just thought deep down, that somehow that he would beat the odds. That Brains would come up with a miracle cure, and we would sit back and sigh in relief at the close call."

"So did I," Gordon said joining into the conversation, his own eyes red-rimmed from crying.

"We need to head to the infirmary." Scott said. Looking around the silo, he asked. "Where's Tin-Tin. Isn't she coming too? Alan could use her comfort right now."

Gordon cleared his throat. "She went to find Fermat. She said that they would come down later. She said that this time should be for family."

Putting an arm around each brother, he said. "OK, let's get going. Dad and Alan are waiting." The three brothers quietly headed toward the infirmary.

* * *

When Jeff walked into the infirmary, he expected to find an emotionally distraught Alan waiting for him. Instead Alan was at the end of John's bed, literally bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Alan?" Jeff asked in confusion.

Alan whirled around. "DAD!" He launched himself across the room into his dad's arms. Excitement and joy shone in his face. "He's awake. He's talking. He says that he's thirsty."

Jeff was really confused, but then he heard a voice, a voice that he thought that he would never hear again, call his name.

"Dad?" John called from the bed.

Jeff moved to the bed. "John? Is this real? Am I dreaming?" Jeff reached out a trembling hand.

John reached over to take his dad's hand. "No Dad, you're not dreaming."

"Oh my God," Jeff said in a rush. "When Alan called me with tears in his eyes, I just assumed…I mean…I never thought they could be tears of joy. In my rush I cut him off before he had a chance to tell me. Are you OK? How are you feeling?"

John rolled his eyes and let out a low groan. "I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. It's a good thing that I'm lying down. I don't think that I have the strength to sit up. Although considering the alternative, I don't think that I will complain."

Jeff smiled at John's attempt to downplay the severity of the situation, until he heard Alan behind him.

"But he doesn't remember anything from the last two weeks." Alan interjected.

"What?" Jeff asked in alarm. Turning to Brains, he asked. "Is he OK? Why can't he remember?"

"It's not un-un-it's known to happen." Brains said. "Some people who c-c-c-awake from comas do seem to s-s-s-have some form of am-am-memory loss. It could be a result of the f-f-f-high temperature, or it could just be a s-s-s-normal effect of the poison."

"But there's no other permanent damage?" Jeff asked anxiously.

"Calm down Dad. I'm OK." John said trying to pacify his father, but Jeff was intent on finding out Brains' answer.

"As far as I can t-t-t-have determined," Brains began to explain. "I have not dis-dis-come across any long term effects. I will need to run ad-ad-ad-more tests though to be p-p-certain. I want to dr-dr-dr-take some blood samples to an-an-examine."

"All right Brains, just let me know what you find out." Jeff requested. He paused for a moment and then continued. "And Brains, thank you for saving my son's life."

"You should also thank Tin-Tin and Ky-Ky-her father." Brains replied. "They pr-pr-pr-gave me the crucial missing piece."

"I will make sure that I do that the next time that I see them." Jeff said.

"I can't wait to see the others." John said. "Alan said they were on their way back from a rescue. How much longer until they get home?"

"Oh no, your brothers," Jeff whispered as realization dawned.

"What?" Alan demanded. "Did something happen on the rescue that you didn't tell me?"

"No, nothing like that." Jeff said quickly. "It's just that Scott called in for clearance just after I talked to Alan. I told him what I thought had happened. I told him that you died."

John's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no Dad, so they think I'm…" His words trailed off.

Jeff nodded his head. "Thunderbird 2 was five minutes out. Scott was going to handle their clearance, and then they were all supposed to meet us here. I'm sure that Scott told Virgil and Gordon…well…you know. They should be here anytime. I'm going to have to do some explaining when they get here."

Alan looked at his dad's and John's serious faces and suddenly he felt laughter brewing in his chest. He tried to hide it but John saw through him.

"Alan, this isn't funny." John admonished. "How would you feel in their place?"

"I know John." Alan began, but that came out amongst the laughs that he was fighting against. Clearing his throat, he tried to force himself to be serious. He tried again. "I know John. I don't know why I have this sudden urge to laugh." That's as far as Alan got before dissolving into laughter again.

Alan gave up trying to fight the laughter. He plopped into the chair that he had used earlier. Through the laughs he said. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Scott, Virgil and Gordon think you're dead. That must be horrible for them and here I am laughing like some idiot hyena. I don't know. Maybe it's the sudden lack of tension. Scott'll pound me for sure if he finds me like this."

John found that as Alan tried to explain, his laughter also became infectious. He had laughter in his own voice when he asked. "Is that before or after Gordon throws you in the pool?"

Jeff watched as his two sons dissolved into fits of laughter. Soon he found himself chuckling along with them. He prayed that they could bring themselves under control before the other boys got there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brains shake his head in confusion as he headed out the door toward his lab with John's blood samples.

* * *

Scott, Virgil and Gordon had made their way silently to the infirmary. Just shy of the door, Gordon stopped.

"Gordon?" Scott questioned.

"I can't do it. I can't go in there." Gordon replied in a hoarse whisper.

Virgil placed a reassuring hand on Gordon's shoulder. "It's all right Gords. We are here for you."

Before Gordon had a chance to answer, the door to the infirmary opened and Brains came out. During the short time that the door was open, the three brothers could have sworn that they heard…laughter?

"Brains, how are things in there?" Scott asked.

"They're fine." Brains answered distractedly. "I have to get to the l-l-l-my workspace." With that he was gone.

"Scott, did I hear laughter when the door opened?" Virgil asked in confusion.

"That's what it sounded like to me too." Gordon interjected.

Scott stared at the infirmary door. Finally he said. "Only one way to find out." He opened the door and the three of them walked in.

The three Tracys already in the infirmary turned slightly when they heard the door open. Alan and Jeff tried to compose themselves when they saw the three other brothers enter the room.

John though knew that his brothers could not see him because of the way his dad was sitting on the bed. He couldn't help himself. With a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he said in a stage whisper. "Uh-oh, BUSTED!"

Alan dissolved back into such a laughing fit that tears rolled down his face. Jeff shot John a look of shock as he tried not to laugh out loud, but his shoulders shook with the suppressed laughter.

Scott, Virgil and Gordon all shared a look of confusion. Scott was the first to speak. "Would someone please tell us what is going on? What could possibly be so funny?"

John opened his mouth to say something, but Jeff shot him a warning look. This caused Alan to laugh even more. Alan tried to compose himself when Jeff gave him a warning look too. He succeeded only as long as he stared at a spot on the wall and did not look at anyone.

Jeff turned to his sons. "I'm sorry boys. I know the feelings of grief that you have been going through. There was a miscommunication though and I made a mistake."

"What are you saying, Dad?" Scott asked not sure if he should get his hopes up.

This time John would not be denied. "What he is saying is that I'm not dead." He answered.

Jeff gave John an exasperated look. "I was hoping to break it a little more gently."

Alan dissolved back into his fit of laughter.

The three brothers stood for a moment in stunned silence. John's words finally sunk in, and Scott and Gordon were at John's bedside as fast as their feet could carry them. They both began to ask questions. John tried to answer, but was cut off by more questions.

"John, you're awake!"

"Well, obviously…"

"The antidote worked?"

"Yeah, it…"

"When did this happen?"

"You guys were…"

"What did Brains have to say?"

"He took some…"

"How are you feeling?"

"Overwhelmed right now."

Amid the chaos of the questioning, Alan was the first to notice that Virgil had not moved from his spot just inside the door. He appeared to be in a state of shock. Alan moved to where his brother stood. He gently placed a hand on Virgil's arm. "Virg? You OK?" He asked.

From the corner of his eye, Jeff saw Alan move. His gaze followed Alan as he moved to Virgil's side. Jeff became concerned when he saw the dazed look on Virgil's face. He also made his way to Virgil's side. He heard Alan ask Virgil if he was OK.

Virgil turned and looked at his youngest brother. "He's alive? He's really going to be OK?" He whispered. Suddenly Virgil felt his knees give out from beneath him, and he started to fall.

Jeff and Alan saw Virgil start to fall, and each grabbed him on either side of him.

"Whoa Virgil, take it easy." Jeff said. "Let's get you in a chair."

Jeff and Alan carefully maneuvered Virgil to the chair that Alan had vacated. By this time, Scott, Gordon and John had become aware of the problem.

"What happened? Is he OK?" Scott wanted to know.

"I think that this all just got to be too much for him." Jeff said, trying to take Virgil's pulse inconspicuously.

John looked at his brother. Virgil was pale, shaking and sweating. All were signs of shock. John began to feel guilty for not letting their dad break the news more gently to his brothers. "Virg, I'm really sorry for blurting out the news. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings." He said.

Virgil locked eyes with John. "I can't believe it. You're alive. I'm so afraid that this is a dream and when I wake up you'll be dead." Virgil turned away as he battled his tears.

John motioned for Scott. "Help me sit up, Scott." He requested. Scott helped him sit up and propped a few pillows behind him to help him keep upright. "Come sit next to me Virg." John asked holding his open arms out to his brother.

Virgil hesitated for a moment before he moved to his brother's side. He felt John's arms encircle him. Stiffly he returned John's embrace.

John quietly told his brother. "It's OK, Virgil. You can relax. I'm still here. It's not a dream. I promise you that."

Virgil gave into his emotions. He let the tears fall as he leaned into John's chest. "I'm sorry. My emotions are in such a jumble. I don't know whether to cry, laugh or scream."

John pulled back some and smiled at Virgil. "Well, you have the crying down. If you want to scream, you might want to go outside so you don't get complaints about the noise. As far as the laugh…" John reached out and poked a ticklish spot between Virgil's ribs.

"Hey," Virgil yelped as he jumped back a bit. He looked at his brother. He saw the mischievous glint in John's eyes and the sly smile on his lips. Virgil felt the cloud of doom lift. He laughed and threw his arms around John again. Hugging his brother close, he said. "Thanks John, I love you."

"You're welcome." John said patting Virgil's back as they moved out of the embrace.

Virgil looked around and saw the rest of the family smiling at them. Rubbing a hand over his face, he said with embarrassment. "You guys must think that I'm a baby."

"It's OK Virg." Alan said. "I cried…"

"Yeah, but we expect you to cry." Gordon interrupted. "You are the BABY after all."

"Hey," Alan said indignantly, crossing his arms and he began to pout.

The rest of the Tracys laughed.

Gordon shook his head. "Relax Alan. I'm just joking with you. Boy it feels good to laugh again."

"That it does, Gordon." Jeff said. "And I'm sorry for jumping the gun and telling you that he was dead."

"How did that happen, Dad?" Scott asked.

"It was my fault." Alan jumped in. "When I called dad to tell him that John was awake, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I didn't intend to cry, but the tears slipped out anyways."

Jeff broke in. "No, it's my fault. I didn't let Alan finish talking. I saw the tears and just assumed that the end had come. Then when you, Scott, called in I just passed my assumption along as fact."

"And I, for one, am glad your assumption was wrong." John broke in. "Now let's all quit blaming ourselves and just enjoy being together. I'm hungry. What's to eat?"

More laughter circulated the room. "That famous Tracy appetite," Jeff said. "John, if you feel up to the continued company, I'll ask Onaha to bring supper down here."

John nodded. "Sounds good. My body feels weak, but my mind is alert. So as long as you don't expect me to get out of bed and do some jumping jacks, you can stay."

Jeff moved back to speak to Onaha over the comm. He watched his five sons talking and joking with each other, silently thanking God that they still could.

* * *

Author's notes: Yep, those poor Tracys. What a misunderstanding. It's good that they can laugh about it at the end. Of course, just that fact that John lived would be enough to bring the smiles back to their faces. We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just one more to go to tie up the loose ends. 


	18. Epilogue

_DISCLAIMER: _Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.

**EPILOGUE**

Four days later, John was lying on one of the pool-side chaise loungers. Gordon wandered out. "Hey John, how are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better, a lot better." John replied. "I'm still a little stiff, but it's good to be out of the infirmary. It's nice to be out in the sun again."

"Well, we're getting ready to take off. I wanted to say goodbye." Gordon said.

John stood up and put an arm around Gordon's shoulders as they headed into the villa. "OK, I'll come in and see you off. Who's going?"

Gordon gave John a pained look, but before he could answer Alan came bounding out of the house. "Hey John, did Gordon tell you? Man this is going to be great." Alan said excitedly.

John gave Gordon a confused look but addressed Alan. "No, Gordon didn't tell me. What's got you so excited?"

Alan's smile couldn't get bigger even if he tried. "Dad said that I could pilot Thunderbird 3 for part of the trip."

Gordon groaned and said. "If he puts even one little scratch on my 'bird, he's dead meat."

"Hey," Alan said indignantly. "I've been doing great in the simulator. That's why dad is letting me take the controls for a bit. Besides, I'll be out in space. What could I scratch it on?"

"With you, baby brother, there's no telling." Gordon said, winding Alan up a bit more. "A rogue comet? An asteroid? Gene Roddenberry's ashes?"

Alan frowned. "That's not funny Gordon. If you…"

John broke in laughing. "Relax Alan. We all feel protective of our main ships. Besides, Gordon's just pulling you leg. You have been doing well in the simulators and dad wouldn't let you take the controls if he didn't have complete confidence in you."

Gordon laughed along with John. "He's right. I'm just giving you a hard time. Sure I'm nervous about you taking control on my 'bird for the first time. It's just because I know how things can go wrong even for experienced pilots like me. But I've been keeping track of your activities in the simulators. You've been doing really well. You'll be fine. Plus, dad'll be there to help you if a problem comes up, but I don't think you'll need it."

The smile returned to Alan's face. "Thanks Gordon, and I'll make sure that I'm very careful with your 'bird. Come on, we better get going. Dad is probably already waiting for us."

The three headed into the house. John turned to Alan and asked. "Speaking of dad, has he said when you are going back to school?"

Alan's mood deflated a bit. "He said that I could stay through the weekend. He's going to take Fermat and me back on Sunday."

The three of them entered the command center. Scott and Jeff were already there. Jeff looked up. "Good. There you are. Are you ready to go?"

Virgil walked in at that moment. "Oh good, you haven't left yet."

"We were just getting ready to leave." Jeff said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just wanted a chance to say goodbye to Gordon." Virgil said as he pulled Gordon into a hug. "Call me if you get lonely."

"Oh sure, Gordon's going to be on the comm all the time." Scott said wryly.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Gordon told Scott.

Laughter erupted from the group. "All right, let's get going." Jeff said. Turning to John and Virgil, he continued. "Once we drop Gordon off, Scott and I are going to give Alan some practice time in Thunderbird 3. So we'll be a little later than normal."

"F-A-B, Dad." Virgil said. "We'll see you when you get back."

"Take it easy Alan." John said. "When you get back, we'll go fishing and you can tell me all about it."

Alan gave John a smile. "Sounds like fun, but I have a better idea. Why don't you get some rest this afternoon, and we can have our talk tonight while looking at the stars."

John looked at Alan in surprise. Alan had never shown interest in the stars before. "Really?" He asked.

Alan laughed at the look on John's face. "Yeah really, I can tell you all about my trip on Thunderbird 3, and you can tell me the stories behind the constellations."

John smiled back at Alan. "OK Alan, it's a plan then. I'll see you later. Bye Gordon."

The four Tracys stepped into the access chutes behind their portraits and disappeared.

"I'm heading back outside." John told Virgil. "But I think that I will stop in the kitchen first and grab some ice cream."

"Sounds good." Virgil said. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, come on." John said. "But I get the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream."

"Only if you can beat me to it." Virgil laughed as he made a beeline to the door.

"You're asking for it, Virgil." John tried to growl, but he couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice. It felt good. The events of the last week only served to re-enforce how important his family was to him. He headed for the kitchen at a leisurely pace. Maybe this time, he'll just have Butter Pecan.

* * *

Author's note: Well, friends, we have come to the end of our story. We have cleaned up our mess, and put the boys neatly away. We want to thank all our faithful readers and especially the reviewers. We tried to send a reply to those who reviewed, but some were sent anonymously, so we want to take a moment to thank them too. We really do appreciate all the reviews that we got. They were very encouraging to us, and some were just a heap of fun to read. Again, thank you to everyone who has enjoyed our story along with us. 


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